BOYD  ALEXANDER'S   LAST  JOURNEY 


.  /Jstys/  ■  '  ///-.  rss  ///■//  s 


// / /f//      /// /■//,  ///<■/ 


LONDON    . 


BOYD  ALEXANDER'S 
LAST  JOURNEY 


WITH    A    MEMOIR 

BY 

HERBERT    ALEXANDER 


ILLUSTRATED 


NEW    YORK 

LONGMANS,    GREEN    &    CO. 

LONDON:    EDWARD  ARNOLD 

1912 

(All  rights  reserved.) 


DEDICATION 

TO    THE     MEN     AND     WOMEN,     MET     AND     UNMET, 
WHOSE    DEEDS    OF    DEVOTION    FOE     MY 
BROTHER    JOIN     THEM    IN    HERO- 
FELLOWSHIP    WITH     HIM 
FOR    EVER. 


X 


DT 

Aa7b 


CONTENTS 


MEMOIR 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  CHILDHOOD           .                 .                 .                 .                 .  .3 

II.  HIS   EARLIER   EXPEDITIONS  ...  21 

III.  THE      ALEXANDER-GOSLING      EXPEDITION       FROM      THE 

NIGER   TO   THE    NILE               .                  .                  .  .32 

IV.  HIS   LAST   JOURNEY    AND    DEATH  ...  43 


INTRODUCTION    TO    THE    DIARY    .  .  .  .57 

BOYD   ALEXANDER'S   DIARY  ....  61 

INDEX     .......    289 


£221.2(5 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 


BOYD   ALEXANDER  MAP-MAKING  ON   HIS  JOURNEY      .      Frontispiece 

FACIXG  PAGE 

"  swift's,"  boyd  Alexander's  birthplace  and  home    .       6 

boyd  alexander  at  about  the  age  of  ten  years        .     12 

boyd  alexander  and  his  niece,  ursula  davis,  standing 
by  one  of  the  steel  boats  used  in  his  niger 
to  nile  expedition     .  .  .  .  .12 

boyd  alexander  at  the  age  of  29,  in  1902      .  .     30 

camp  near  corfe  castle,  where  "from  the  niger  to 
the  nile  "  was  written        .  .  .  .42 

the  clay  original  (unfinished)  of  the  marble 
memorial  by  professor  colton,  a.r.a.,  which  is 
to  be  placed  in  cranbrook  church 


FALLS    OF   THE    LOBE    RIVER    INTO    THE    SEA   NEAR    KRIBI 

THE    MOUNTAIN,    SAN    THOME 

THE    INTERIOR   OF    SAN   THOME 

CAMP   ABOVE    BUEA     .... 

THE    "  BOYS  "    OF   THE    EXPEDITION    . 

THE    CRATER   IN    ERUPTION     . 

THE    CRATER   AFTER   ERUPTION,  SHOWING  THE   LAVA  STREAM    118 

TOWARDS   THE    MANENGUBA   RANGE    ....    122 


54 

74 

76 

76 

100 

100 

118 


LIST   OF  ILLUSTRATIONS  vii 

PACING  PAGE 

one  of  the  crater  lakes  near  poala    .  .  .  122 

women  dancing  at  dallwa  ....  166 

witch-doctor     performing      "  ju-ju  "      over    a    mad 
woman  at  pella         .....  166 

one  of  captain  brocklebank's  ox  wagons         .  .  180 

a   goatherd   and   his    charge    in    a   village    cattle 

enclosure        ......  180 

the  festival  of  salla  at  yelua  .  .  .  192 

mounted  soldier  of  dikoa,  wearing  chain  armour      .  196 

kakami,  kachella  of  konduga      ....  196 

"behagle's  monument."    (jose  standing  beside  it)     .  202 

rabeh's  palace        ......  202 

the  review  of  his  troops  by  the  shehu  of  dikoa     .  206 

sanda,  shehu  of  dikoa     .....  210 

yamera,     the      queen      mother,     with     her     grand- 
daughter, yaashi    .  ....  210 

a  travelling  mallam,  met  on  the  road  to  abechir   .  266 

a  view  of  abechir  .....  266 

the  expedition  met  by  a  chief  with  an  escort  from 
the  sultan  of  abechir  ....  270 

assil,  sultan  of  abechir  ....  276 

the  sultan's  palace  .....  276 

MAPS 

MAP   OF   THE    KAMERUN   PEAK  .  .  .  pacje   56 

MAP    SHOWING   BOYD   ALEXANDER'S    ROUTE     .  .  At  end 


Acknowledgments  are  due  to  the  editor 
of  The  Ibis  and  Mr.  Ogilvie  Grant  for 
the  use  of  certain  notes  which  appeared  in 
a  memoir  of  my  brother  by  Mr.  Ogilvie 
Grant  in  the  number  of  that  journal  for 
October,  1910. 


MEMOIR 

By  HERBERT   ALEXANDER 


Pitts     ccsCt  t      ^ ' &     "X  erf"     -C*^c+*-      -^Leasts*-     £%- 
£i  y  asv<x>      Li^1-  '*"*'*'  -t-^<  «^  _ 

i 


CHAPTEE  I 


CHILDHOOD 


IN  his  Life  of  Alexander  the  Great  Plutarch  asks  for 
indulgence  because  he  does  not  give  the  actions  in 
full  detail  and  with  a  scrupulous  exactness,  but  rather 
in  a  short  summary,  since,  says  he,  "  We  are  not  writing 
histories,  but  lives  " ;  and  he  goes  on  to  point  out  how  a 
man's  character  may  often  be  discerned  in  an  action  of 
small  note,  a  short  saying  or  jest,  rather  than  in  the 
greatest  sieges  or  most  important  battle.  Therefore,  he 
says,  as  painters  in  their  portraits  labour  the  likeness  in 
the  face,  and  particularly  about  the  eyes,  in  which  the 
peculiar  turn  of  mind  most  appears,  and  run  over  the 
rest  with  a  more  careless  hand,  so  we  must  be  permitted 
to  strike  off  the  features  of  the  soul  in  order  to  give  a 
true  likeness  and  leave  to  others  the  details  of  the 
achievements. 

When  so  great  a  biographer  as  Plutarch  lays  down 
this  maxim,  I  think  I  need  hardly  ask  forgiveness  if  in 
the  memoir  of  my  brother  I  follow  his  example  and  pay 
more  attention  to  recalling  my  impressions  of  the  intimate 
things  of  the  character  and  soul  which  the  close  tie  of 
brotherhood  is  able  to  reveal  and  only  indicate  in  outline 
the  history  of  his  deeds  and  work,  trusting  that  they  of 
their  excellence  stand  firm  enough  to  make  his  monu- 


4  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

ment,  to  which  I  now  bring  with  a  loving  hand,  as  it 
were,  a  wreath  of  recollections. 

Besides,  not  having  any  practical  knowledge  of  any  one 
of  my  brother's  callings,  either  as  explorer,  soldier,  or 
ornithologist,  it  were  a  hopeless  task  for  me  to  try  to  do 
him  justice  in  respect  of  these.  But  for  many  years  of 
our  early  life  we  grew  up  together,  when,  if  only  memory 
will  serve,  so  many  of  the  qualities  can  be  found  in  the 
child  that  went  to  the  making  of  the  man.  And  then 
again,  for  more  than  a  year  after  his  great  journey  across 
Africa,  when  he  returned  to  find  himself  famous,  I  was 
engaged  in  helping  him  in  the  writing  of  his  book  and 
travelling  with  him  to  the  various  towns  where  he 
lectured,  which  meant  that  we  were  together  throughout 
that  time  all  day  long  and  under  conditions  exceptionally 
favourable  for  the  study  of  character  and  capacity.  But 
for  this  opportunity  it  would  have  been  indeed  difficult  to 
give  more  than  a  shadowy  sketch ;  for  from  the  very 
nature  of  his  calling  the  explorer's  life,  as  it  is  expressed 
by  contact  with  his  fellow-men,  must  be  so  little  known. 
The  writer,  painter,  scholar,  even  the  soldier,  is  sur- 
rounded by  his  family  and  his  circle  of  friends,  who  have 
had  talk  with  him  and  have  known  him  intimately  for 
many  years  and  shared  with  him  the  hours  of  work  and 
play.  But  the  true  explorer,  the  pioneer,  must  live  so 
much  of  his  life  alone,  and,  even  if  at  times  he  has  com- 
panions, the  conditions  of  work  are  such  as  are  likely  to 
keep  them  far  apart  throughout  the  day.  So  the  best 
years  of  youth  go  by,  when  friendships  are  made  and  love 
is  won,  and  though  he  returns  to  his  own  country  from 
time  to  time,  it  is  only  too  often  to  find  that  some  of 
those  that  were  dear  to  him  are  dead. 

It  has  become  difficult  for  him,  even  in  the  happiest 
circumstances,  to  pick  up  the  threads  of  all  the  little 


MEMOIR  5 

things  which  mean  so  much  in  the  crowded  social  life. 
The  small-change  of  conversation,  so  to  speak,  has  got 
rusty  in  the  purse  for  lack  of  use.  For  a  time  he  makes 
an  effort  and  is  gay  with  the  rest  of  them,  but  the  fret 
and  strain  to  overcome  the  shyness  that  has  overtaken 
him  are  too  great  and  his  thoughts  go  back  to  the  peace- 
fulness  of  the  big  things  that  lie  beyond.  Then  suddenly 
he  realises  that  all  the  time  among  people  he  was  "  girt 
with  a  thirsty  solitude  of  soul,"  and  then  his  heart  leaps 
up  and  beckons  him  to  follow  again  the  lonely  trail, 
where  Life  will  give  a  clearer  echo  to  his  call  among  the 
rocks.  And  it  is  for  this  reason  that  we  find  explorers 
seem  so  remote  from  us.  Their  achievements  are  known, 
but  so  little  of  the  men  themselves  belongs  to  us.  This 
loneliness  of  spirit,  for  me,  was  the  most  tragic  thing  in 
my  brother's  life.  Sometimes  he  used  to  say  to  me,  "  It 
must  be  so  nice  to  have  so  many  friends ;  how  I  envy 
you !  I  have  been  away  so  long  that  I  have  outgrown 
mine ;  people  are  very  kind  to  me  and  I  am  very  fond  of 
them,  but  there  is  no  one  to  whose  life  I  am  necessary  or 
who  is  necessary  to  mine.  I  suppose  it  is  too  late  to 
hope  for  that  sort  of  friend  now,  and  I  shall  always  feel 
alone." 

Boyd  was  my  eldest  brother.  Our  father,  Lieut. - 
Colonel  Boyd  Francis  Alexander,  came  to  live  at  Swift's 
Place,  Cranbrook,  which  is  situated  in  the  most  beautiful 
part  of  Kent,  on  retiring  from  the  Army  about  forty  years 
ago.  He  comes  of  a  Scottish  family,  whose  home  was  at 
Ballochmyle  in  Ayrshire,  a  property  which  is  still  in  the 
possession  of  the  elder  branch  of  the  family,  whose  head 
to-day  is  Sir  Claud  Alexander. 

Burns  was  a  ploughman  living  in  the  little  cottage  of 
Mossgiel  upon  this  estate  when  my  great-great-uncle  was 
the  owner  in  1783,  and  it  was  to  his  sister,  Wilhelmina, 


6  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

that  the  poet,  who  saw  her  one  day  walking  in  the 
grounds  of  Ballochmyle,  addressed  his  lovely  poem 
called  "The  Lass  of  Ballochmyle." 

If  I  were  to  go  no  further  back  than  one  generation  to 
find  a  source  from  which  to  trace  Boyd's  quality  of  pluck 
I  would  recall  my  father's  services  in  the  Indian  Mutiny. 
He  was  twenty-three  years  old  at  the  time  he  led  the 
storming  party  at  Fort  Birwah  up  the  scaling-ladder  and 
was  twice  wounded,  by  an  arrow  in  the  shoulder  and  a 
bullet  in  the  neck. 

It  is  often  said  that  all  men  who  have  reached  fame 
have  had  great  mothers.  Boyd's  was  the  most  devoted 
mother  that  ever  lived,  a  woman  of  tireless  energy,  and 
the  bravest  of  the  brave.  I  have  heard  a  workman  say 
of  her  that  she  did  the  work  of  three  men.  Early  in  her 
married  life  she  was  called  upon  to  show  her  courage. 
It  was  in  the  Irish-American  Rebellion,  when  my  parents 
were  living  in  a  wooden  house  outside  Ottawa.  Often 
my  father  would  be  called  away  on  service,  and  my 
mother,  left  all  alone  with  her  little  baby-girl,  would 
cheerfully  defend  the  house  against  any  ruffians  that 
might  come  to  molest  her;  indeed,  the  servants  had 
bolted,  so  great  was  the  public  terror.  One  night  two 
men  did  come  and  demand  an  entrance,  whereupon  my 
mother  opened  the  door  and  challenged  them,  and  when 
they  made  no  reply  but  tried  to  get  past  her  she  fired 
with  her  little  silver  pistol  at  their  legs,  so  that  they 
ran  away. 

I  will  give  one  other  story  of  my  mother,  because  Boyd 
was  with  her  on  this  occasion,  which  must  have  been  his 
first  adventure.  He  was  only  eight  years  old  at  the  time. 
My  mother  was  taking  him  with  her  to  the  Isle  of  Wight, 
whither  she  was  hurrying  to  see  one  of  the  other  children, 
who  was  ill.     There  was  a  dense  fog  in  the  Channel  and 


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MEMOIR  7 

a  choppy  sea,  so  that  the  steamers  were  not  running. 
My  mother,  therefore,  hired  a  little  rowing  boat  to  make 
the  passage,  paying  a  heavy  price  for  it  as  it  was  difficult 
to  find  a  boatman  willing  to  take  so  great  a  risk.  Even 
then  not  one  would  go  unless  a  male  passenger  accom- 
panied her.  So  my  mother  canvassed  all  the  passengers, 
and  at  last  one  consented,  but  he  added  to  her  anxiety  all 
the  way  over  by  giving  vent  to  regrets  and  reproaches  in 
the  most  spiritless  manner. 

If  we  look  for  ancestral  types  from  which  to  trace 
Boyd's  taste  for  adventure,  we  find  them  on  both  the 
paternal  and  maternal  sides.  On  the  former  in  the  person 
of  our  great-great-grandfather,  Claud  Alexander,  who 
restored  the  family  fortunes  by  his  enterprise  in  India. 
He  was  an  administrator  in  the  East  India  Company  in 
the  stirring  times  of  Warren  Hastings,  and  there  is  still 
preserved  at  home  a  letter  from  his  brother  Boyd,  and 
addressed  to  their  sister,  the  lass  of  Burns's  poem,  saying, 
"  The  Governor  [Warren  Hastings]  does  nothing  without 
first  consulting  Claud." 

On  the  maternal  side  our  grandfather,  David  Wilson, 
was  a  most  remarkable  man.  A  friend  of  Burton,  the 
great  explorer,  he  himself  might  be  called  a  merchant 
pioneer.  At  sixteen  years  of  age  he  was  not  content  to 
accept  a  comfortable  post  and  salary  offered  him  in  a 
business  at  home  ;  but,  impelled  by  the  love  of  an  adven- 
turous life,  he  went  out  to  India  "  on  his  own."  Gifted 
with  extraordinary  energy  and  courage,  he  soon  became  a 
man  of  mark  in  the  trade  world  of  the  East,  and  made, 
and  lost  in  a  bank  smash,  and  made  again  a  large  fortune 
before  he  was  forty.  It  was  out  of  his  enterprise  that  the 
fair  hill-station  of  Darjeeling  rose. 

Boyd  was  the  elder  of  twin  boys  born  on  the  16th  of 
January,  1873.     As  it  was  doubtful  if  the  younger,  Robert, 


8  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

would  survive  the  early  hours  of  infancy,  the  vicar  was 
summoned  hastily  to  christen  the  children,  and  the  cere- 
mony was  performed  in  an  old  silver  sugar-basin  which  is  a 
family  heirloom.  The  fears  of  the  doctor,  however,  were 
fortunately  not  fulfilled,  so  the  twins  grew  up  together 
through  childhood  and  school-days,  and  their  ways  did 
not  part  till  at  twenty  years  of  age  they  entered  different 
battalions  of  the  Rifle  Brigade  Militia. 

My  earliest  memory  of  Boyd  in  our  nursery  days  dates 
from  the  year  when  he  was  six  and  I  four  years  old.  On 
a  cold  winter's  day  of  deep  snow  we  three  older  boys  had 
gone  out  with  the  nursemaid  for  our  morning  walk.  I 
think  it  was  the  first  time  in  my  life  that  I  had  come 
in  actual  touch  with  snow,  and  as  I  played  with  it  and 
made  snowballs  my  excitement  was  so  great  that  I  did 
not  notice  how  cold  my  hands  had  got  till  the  game  was 
over,  and  then  the  cold  suddenly  gnawed  my  bones  with 
excruciating  pain.  I  had  no  gloves,  and  ran  to  the  nurse 
sobbing.  But  I  got  little  sympathy.  Then  Boyd,  seeing 
my  agony,  instantly  took  off  his  gloves,  and  running  back 
put  them  on  my  hands,  although  his  own  were  quite  as 
cold.  Then  for  some  reason  or  another  I  cried  the  louder, 
at  which  the  nursemaid  called  me  a  donkey,  for  she  could 
not  understand. 

From  their  earliest  days  right  up  to  the  age  when  their 
ways  parted  there  was  an  extraordinary  likeness  between 
the  twin  brothers.  Of  this  they  were  very  proud,  and 
the  common  possession  was  often  worked  by  them  to 
their  mutual  advantage.  At  school  they  were  made  to 
wear  different  collars,  so  that  the  masters  could  tell  them 
apart ;  but  on  occasion  when  one,  under  sentence  for 
some  crime,  wanted  his  freedom  for  a  special  purpose, 
the  other  by  changing  his  collar  would  take  the  punish- 
ment for  his  brother,  undiscovered  by  the  master.     Even 


MEMOIR  9 

earlier  in  their  lives  than  this,  when  they  were  in  the 
nursery,  they  had  learnt  to  take  advantage  of  their  circum- 
stances. One,  I  forget  which,  did  not  mind  the  medicine 
that  the  other  detested,  so  he  cheerfully,  and  probably 
for  a  consideration,  swallowed  the  daily  doses  of  both. 
After  all,  it  would  have  shown  a  lack  of  resourcefulness 
had  the  children  not  extracted  a  useful  working  principle 
from  the  unconscious  mistakes  that  their  elders  were  con- 
stantly making.  An  old  friend  of  our  boyhood,  John 
Springett,  bootmaker  and  taxidermist  of  Cranbrook,  who 
in  after  years  had  many  bird-hunting  adventures  with 
Boyd,  was  telling  me  the  other  day  of  a  case  in  point. 
He  had  come  one  day  to  measure  the  twins,  who  were 
four  years  old  at  the  time,  for  boots,  and  having  finished 
with  the  younger  boy,  Eobin,  was  lifting  Bee  (as  Boyd 
was  called)  up  on  to  the  big  oak  chest,  when  the  nurse 
accused  the  latter  of  being  his  brother  come  back  again. 
Whereupon  the  little  fellow  exclaimed,  "  No,  I  am  Bee, 
and  always  will  be." 

As  children  the  twins  were  remarkably  shy.  I  do  not 
think  that  I  myself  had  this  failing  by  nature,  but  the 
habit  was  soon  imitated  from  my  elder  brothers,  as  a 
matter  of  good  form.  I  should  say  that  Boyd  kept  this 
characteristic  to  the  end  of  his  life,  probably  because  he 
spent  so  much  time  alone  in  the  wilds,  and  found  that 
his  returns  to  the  restless  conditions  of  civilised  society 
made  him  feel  ill  at  ease. 

Sometimes  their  shyness  would  lead  the  twins  into  odd 
situations.  A  sight  of  a  visitor  approaching  the  house, 
or  the  scrunch  of  carriage  wheels  upon  the  gravel,  were 
signals  for  an  immediate  stampede  to  cover.  Kemember- 
ing  one  of  the  occasions  recalls  to  my  mind  old  Thomas 
Webster,  the  Academician,  who  always  seemed  to  us  boys 
a  romantic  but  somewhat  awe-inspiring  figure,  with  his 


10  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

round,  rubicund  face  and  long  white  hair,  velvet  coat,  and 
huge  wide-awake ;  driving  himself  about  in  a  bath-chair 
drawn  by  a  ridiculous  donkey  with  a  long  and  beautifully 
abundant  tail,  which  was  false  and  came  off  with  the 
harness.  One  morning  the  dear  old  gentleman  came  to 
call  upon  my  mother  to  give  his  opinion  upon  a  picture 
which  had  just  come  home.  The  twins  were  up  to  some 
mischief  in  the  dining-room  as  he  came  in  and  scampered 
at  once  into  hiding  under  the  table.  After  examining  for 
some  little  time  the  picture  he  had  come  to  see  he  hap- 
pened to  turn  round,  and  his  eye  fell  on  a  portrait  group 
of  the  boys  which  was  hanging  at  the  other  end  of  the 
room,  whereupon  he  exclaimed  in  lively  tones,  "  Why, 
there  are  the  boys  !  "  Picture  his  astonishment  when 
the  twins,  imagining  they  had  been  discovered,  crawled 
out  from  under  the  table,  and  stood  before  him,  their 
faces  crimson  with  shame  ! 

But  I  fear  that  the  respect  which  my  brothers  enter- 
tained for  the  master  was  not  extended  to  his  "moke." 
It  was  a  frequent  kindness  on  the  part  of  the  distin- 
guished artist  to  come  and  spend  an  hour  helping  my 
sister  with  her  painting.  During  this  time  the  donkey 
was  supposed  to  be  resting,  tied  up  under  the  shade  of  a 
tree ;  but  if  the  truth  had  come  out,  he  was,  as  often  as 
not,  doing  nothing  of  the  sort,  having  fallen  a  victim  to 
the  designs  of  the  naughty  boys,  who,  one  with  reins 
and  other  with  whip,  urged  the  wretched  beast  at  a  pace 
far  exceeding  his  habit  a  cross-country  course  over  the 
park. 

At  the  best  of  times  Boyd  was  slow  of  speech  and 
appeared  to  find  it  rather  difficult  to  express  himself  on 
the  spur  of  the  moment,  and  I  observed  that  for  several 
months  after  the  long  time  he  spent  alone  on  his  trans- 
African  journey  these  disabilities  were  much  more  marked. 


MEMOIR  11 

To  any  one  who  understood  him  and  could  see  beneath 
the  surface,  at  a  public  dinner  or  large  social  function 
he  was  a  pathetic  sight.  He  seemed  dazed  by  the 
ordered  confusion,  and  on  a  great  occasion  when  he  had 
to  make  an  after-dinner  speech  (and  did  it  remarkably 
well,  by  the  by)  he  once  said  to  me  as  we  went  home, 
"  Isn't  it  strange  to  think  that  all  that  was  done  for  me? 
I  don't  know  what  I  ate,  and  I  didn't  dare  drink  anything 
because  of  the  speech,  and  what  the  chairman  said  to  me 
or  I  said  to  him  during  dinner  I  haven't  a  notion,  for  I  felt 
quite  sick  with  dread.  He  must  have  thought  me  a  very 
dull  dog."  Of  course  I  told  Boyd  that  his  speech  was 
splendid,  and  then  I  suggested  that  he  must  be  hungry  as 
he  had  not  eaten  any  dinner — and  what  about  our  pop- 
ping in  to  the  "Troc"  for  a  little  supper  to  ourselves? 
Then,  acting  on  my  suggestion,  he  soon  made  up  for  lost 
opportunities,  and  over  our  meal  became  as  happy  as  a 
schoolboy  and  as  bright  as  a  button.  Afterwards  when 
the  lights  and  our  laughter  had  been  turned  out,  and  we 
were  driving  home,  he  remarked  on  my  silence  and  said 
he  was  afraid  he  had  tired  me,  to  which  I  replied  that  I 
was  only  thinking  how  I  wished  we  could  have  invited 
the  old  chairman  to  supper  with  us. 

I  do  not  think  that  "  de  mortuis  nil  nisi  bonum  "  is  a 
proverb  that  was  ever  intended  to  apply  to  speaking  of 
the  sins  of  boyhood,  so  I  will  tell  the  following  story, 
which  concerns  Boyd  most  gravely  perhaps  as  the  eldest 
and  therefore  the  ringleader  of  the  trio. 

Looking  back  to  the  time  before  our  school-days,  when 
Boyd  and  Kobin  were  about  nine  years  old,  it  is  difficult 
to  find  trace  in  any  one  of  us  of  the  moral  sense.  This 
sounds  shocking,  but  I  am  sure  we  were  not  really 
wicked.  We  had  merely  not  developed  our  ultimate 
capacities,  that  was  all.     Indeed,  I  am  inclined  to  think 


12  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

that  it  was  rather  a  healthy  condition  than  otherwise,  for 
with  our  constitutions  unweakened  by  over-growing  in 
the  moral  direction  Nature  could  pay  her  attention  to 
developing  other  qualities,  such  as  enterprise  and  daring, 
that  are  apt  to  be  arrested  if  all  her  energy  is  expended 
in  nurturing  such  a  delicate  growth  as  the  moral  sense. 
Let  us  hope  that,  left  to  the  last,  this  had  all  the  richer 
soil  to  root  in ! 

And  now  for  the  confession.  We  three  boys  conceived 
the  idea  of  a  new  game,  which  consisted  in  going  into 
business  in  the  stationery  and  fancy  goods  line.  Under 
the  sign  of  "  Pumpkin  &  Co."  we  opened  premises  on 
the  top  landing  of  our  London  house.  All  our  pocket- 
money  and  savings  were  put  into  the  concern  for  buying 
our  stock-in-trade,  while  customers  were  drawn  from  our 
parents  and  their  friends  and  also  from  the  household. 
We  were,  besides,  made  stationers  "  by  appointment  "  to 
the  schoolroom.  I  think  that  our  parents  and  the  gover- 
ness encouraged  the  enterprise,  believing  it  to  be  an 
excellent  aid  to  teaching  us  neatness,  arithmetic,  and 
the  value  of  money.  As  a  matter  of  fact  it  did  nothing 
of  the  sort,  except  the  last,  perhaps,  for  we  quickly 
developed  a  very  swollen  idea  of  the  value  of  other 
people's  money,  and  became  perfect  little  Shylocks,  so 
that  our  greed,  alas  !  brought  us  down  even  so  low  as  the 
committing  of  crimes.  We  did  a  large  amount  of  busi- 
ness with  the  servants,  and  if  unfortunate  new  footmen 
or  maids  did  not  give  us  what  we  considered  sufficient 
custom  their  lives  were  soon  made  so  wretched  by  our 
bullying  and  blackmail  that  it  was  practically  a  question 
with  them  of  parting  with  their  money  or  their  situation. 
Conducted  on  these  lines  our  business  throve,  but  soon 
we  were  not  content  with  profits  at  the  rate  of  about 
four  shillings  in  the  pound,  but  plunged  deeper  into  crime. 


Boyd  Alexander  at  about  the  ace 
of  ten  years. 


I!'>yi>  Alexander  at  home  with   his  niece,   Ursula  Davis,  by  one  of 

THE    STEEL    BOATS    AFTER    Ills    NIGER     fO    NlLE    EXPEDITION. 


MEMOIR  13 

When  it  was  necessary  to  lay  in  a  new  stock  of  goods  we 
used  to  go  with  the  nursemaid  to  a  large  shop  in  the 
Edgware  Road  or  to  the  Baker  Street  Bazaar,  and  while 
one  boy  took  his  turn  in  the  outlay  of  a  few  pennies 
upon  a  purchase,  which  was  purposely  made  very  difficult 
so  as  to  require  the  utmost  attention  of  the  shop  assistant 
and  the  best  advice  of  the  maid,  the  other  two  would 
roam  round  pillaging  the  trays  along  the  stalls  and 
dexterously  transferring  various  things  into  the  sailor 
"  tops  "  which  we  wore  in  those  days,  a  style  of  dress 
well  suited  to  our  wicked  purpose.  These  evil  practices 
continued  for  some  time,  and  eventually  were  the  cause 
of  the  winding  up  of  our  business ;  not,  as  no  doubt  the 
reader  guesses,  because  they  were  discovered,  but  because 
we  found  it  was  easier  to  increase  our  armies  of  tin 
soldiers,  which  were  our  most  absorbing  interest  in  those 
days,  directly  by  employing  these  dishonest  methods  than 
by  waiting  for  our  business  profits  wherewith  to  buy 
them. 

Many  years  after  Boyd  and  I  were  recalling  these 
naughty  deeds,  with  laughter  I  am  afraid,  and  we  agreed 
that  we  did  not  think  it  likely  we  would  ever  be  moved  to 
send  conscience  money  to  the  Chancellor  of  the  Ex- 
chequer ;  and  that  it  might  seem  strange,  but  somehow 
or  other  we  could  not  feel  that  our  old  sins  belonged  to 
us  at  all,  and  we  wondered  whether  it  was  because  we 
had  renewed  our  whole  beings  three  times  in  the  thrice 
seven  years  that  had  passed  since  those  days.  Curiously 
enough,  we  would  not  have  dreamed  of  touching  money. 
Looking  back  now  upon  these  and  many  other  like 
escapades  of  our  childhood  in  London,  I  cannot  help 
thinking  that  they  grew  out  of  our  intense  hatred  of  a 
town  life ;  for  in  the  country,  though  we  were  mis- 
chievous, the  things  we  did  were  comparatively  harmless. 


14  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

At  about  ten  years  of  age  Boyd  and  Kobin  went  to  school, 
and  no  doubt  it  was  none  too  soon !  Up  to  this  age  we 
three  boys  had  been  taught  almost  entirely  by  our  father, 
but  I  fear  it  was  not  till  some  years  after,  when  we  had 
reached  a  more  reflective  age,  that  we  realised  how 
grateful  we  should  be  to  him  for  the  patience  and  pains 
which  he  expended  in  breaking  up  and  cultivating  the 
stony  ground  of  our  very  stubborn  intellects. 

My  times  with  my  brothers  were  now  confined  to  the 
holidays,  and  needless  to  say  I  looked  forward  to  these 
with  great  excitement,  for  references,  provokingly  laconic, 
in  their  letters  home,  about  birds'  nests  and  egg  collecting 
conjured  up  in  my  mind  visions  of  a  new  and  wonderful 
world  that  my  brothers  were  going  to  open  for  me. 

Although  I  cannot  speak  of  Boyd's  school  life  at  this 
period,  I  can  of  his  school,  for  during  his  second  summer 
term  he  fell  ill  and  came  home  for  a  month,  and  I  was 
sent  down  to  take  his  place.  Thus  it  happened  that  I 
spent  one  of  the  happiest  times  of  my  life.  The  school, 
which  was  quite  a  small  one — I  think  there  were  not  more 
than  twenty  boys  there  at  this  time — was  kept  by  Mr. 
Somervell,  as  kind  a  master  as  one  could  ever  meet,  and 
immensely  popular  with  all.  The  school-house  was  an 
old  manor,  called  Hazeley,  surrounded  by  a  delightful 
garden  from  which  a  fine  avenue  of  old  elms  led  to  the 
cricket-ground  that  looked  upon  some  of  the  prettiest 
country  to  be  found  in  Oxfordshire.  Books  and  jackdaws, 
cawing  in  their  nests  in  the  avenue  by  day,  and  owls, 
hooting  round  the  ivied  chimneys  at  night,  seemed  the 
guardians  of  an  ancient  peace  that  brooded  in  this  lovely 
solitude  off  the  highway  of  Time.  Surely  it  must  have 
been  here  that  the  little  boy,  who  was  much  quieter  than 
his  fellows  and  slower  at  games  and  nearly  always  absent- 
minded,  first  felt  the  magic  touch  of  Nature,  and  heard 


MEMOIR  15 

the  call  of  the  birds  that  led  him  in  after  days  over  the 
seas,  sometimes  to  pleasant  places,  sometimes  to  desert 
wastes,  on  journeys  as  far  as  the  swallow  wings, 
never  resting  from  the  quest  till  the  day  when  he 
heard  in  the  air  above  him  the  beating  of  the  Giant 
Wings. 

After  a  year  and  a  half  at  Hazeley,  the  twins  were  moved 
to  a  larger  school,  on  the  South  Coast,  to  which  I  accom- 
panied them.  This  was  not  a  very  happy  time  for  any  of 
us.  We  were  exempt  ourselves  from  corporal  punishment 
owing  to  our  parents'  strong  disapproval,  but  there  was 
for  the  rest  of  the  boys  what  in  these  more  gentle  days 
would  be  thought  a  far  too  reckless  use  of  the  cane.  As 
might  be  expected,  this  harsh  system  had  a  brutalising 
effect  on  the  natures  of  many  of  the  boys,  and  bullying  in 
that  school  was  carried  to  the  pitch  of  a  fine  art.  As  I 
have  told  you  before,  the  twins  were  extremely  shy,  and 
not  being  good  at  their  books,  were  in  a  lower  form  than 
looked  fitting  for  their  size ;  added  to  this  they  were 
extremely  modest.  Moreover,  they  were  not  in  the  least 
bit  understood,  and  so  they  continued  to  suffer  a  sort  of 
passive  and  persistent  form  of  persecution,  which 
generally  took  the  form  of  ridicule,  with  a  truly  Christian 
patience.  Not  a  boy  in  the  school  dared  to  be  actively 
aggressive,  for  the  brothers  looked  too  dangerous  for  that, 
till  one  day  one  of  the  arch  bullies  of  the  school  went  just 
a  step  too  far  with  Kobin.  I  fancy  I  can  still  hear,  as  I 
write,  the  sounds  of  the  three  clean  blows  that  twisted 
the  fellow  into  a  howling  knot  upon  the  ground,  and  I 
doubt  if  any  one  battle  in  history  ever  brought  about  so 
sudden  and  complete  a  revolution  in  the  constitution  of  a 
country  as  did  those  three  blows  in  our  school.  It  was 
amusing  afterwards  to  see  the  "  cock  of  the  school  "  pick 
Kobin  out  from  an  obscure  position  in  the  tail  on  the 


16  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

Sunday  walk  along  the  parade  to  be  his  companion  in  the 
very  front.  Though  this  boy  had  been  a  great  bully,  he 
was  brilliant,  and  he  had  a  certain  amount  of  genius  for 
leadership,  and  was  popular  in  spite  of  his  failings.  But 
his  power  had  been  shaken ;  the  quiet  influence  of  the 
twin  brothers  was  now  over  the  school,  and  a  day  came 
when  an  act  of  tyranny  on  the  part  of  their  leader  was 
resented  by  the  whole  school,  who  held  a  parliament  and 
deposed  him.  Had  the  brothers  been  seekers  after  power, 
here  was  their  opportunity.  But  they  never  nursed  any 
feelings  of  revenge,  and  after  a  little  while  the  picture  of 
the  fallen  chief  sitting  apart  and  very  sorrowful  aroused  the 
pity  of  his  judges,  who  forgave  him  and  set  him  up  again. 
He  had  learnt  his  lesson  and  ruled  more  wisely,  and  the 
lot  of  the  small  boys  became  happy  in  the  school  except 
for  the  terror  of  the  cane. 

It  was  while  I  was  with  Boyd  at  this  school  and  during 
the  holidays  that  I  observed  the  growth  of  his  extra- 
ordinary keenness  for  natural  history.  Perhaps  this 
passion  for  collecting,  this  thirst  for  the  excitement  of 
birds-nesting,  trapping,  and  handling  the  forbidden  gun  are 
common  more  or  less  to  all  boys,  but  Boyd's  devotion 
was  more  than  these  and  showed  itself  in  his  precocious 
knowledge  of  such  books  as  White's  "  Selborne  "  and 
"  Bewick,"  in  the  wonderful  neatness  and  method  of  the 
arrangement  of  his  egg  collection,  and  in  a  systematic 
diary  of  the  migrations  and  habits  of  the  birds  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  our  home. 

At  school  he  was  not  particularly  fond  of  games,  his 
left-handedness  seemed  to  be  a  difficulty  to  him,  but, 
although  doubtless  he  employed  many  a  trick  to  get  off 
and  range  the  country-side  for  birds  nests,  he  was  by  no 
means  unathletic  or  unmanly,  for  he  represented  Kadley 
College  in  the  Public  Schools'  Boxing  Competition  the 


MEMOIR  17 

same  year  that  his  twin  brother  was  her  champion  for 
gymnastics. 

An  incident  of  Boyd's  boyhood  is  perhaps  worth  relating 
as  characteristic  of  the  future  explorer  and  ornithologist, 
in  that  it  shows  in  the  boy  those  qualities  of  pluck  and 
devotion  to  a  hobby  which  were  such  conspicuous  features 
in  the  nature  of  the  man.  He  could  not  have  been  more 
than  eleven  at  the  time,  when  we  three  brothers  had 
come  home  for  the  holidays,  and  all,  wild  with  the  joy 
of  our  first  day  of  freedom,  were  scouring  the  place  in  an 
eager  search  for  nests.  Not  much  luck  had  attended  our 
efforts,  though  many  risks  of  broken  limbs  had  been  taken, 
until  evidence  of  a  swallow's  nest  was  discovered  inside 
the  roof  of  a  disused  barn.  The  door  was  locked,  and 
how  to  force  an  entrance  was  the  problem  still  occupying 
the  energies  of  Kobin  and  myself  outside,  when  to  our 
surprise  an  exulting  shout  came  from  Boyd  up  in  the  roof, 
and  till  this  day  it  is  not  known  how  he  had  effected  an 
entrance.  But  his  triumph  was  not  destined  to  last  long, 
for,  just  as  he  had  reached  his  hand  up  into  the  nest  to 
count  the  eggs,  there  was  a  horrible  crash  among  the 
rafters,  briefly  followed  by  a  sickening  thud  upon  the 
ground.  Then  for  a  few  moments,  that  to  us  outside 
seemed  an  age,  there  followed  a  dead  silence,  presently 
broken  by  moans.  Frantically  we  kicked  at  the  door  and 
tore  at  the  boarding  in  order  to  get  to  his  rescue,  but  with 
no  success ;  and  to  add  to  our  horror  through  a  crack  in 
the  boards  we  could  see  Boyd  lying  with  his  head  in  a 
pool  of  blood.  Fortunately  we  sighted  a  labourer  who 
was  working  in  a  neighbouring  field,  and  at  length  with 
his  help  the  door  was  broken  open,  and  poor  Boyd  was 
brought  out  and  laid  upon  a  heap  of  straw.  Water  was 
fetched  from  a  well  near  by,  and  after  a  little  while  he  re- 
vived.    It  was  then  seen  that  in  falling  he  had  struck  the 

3 


18  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

rafters  with  his  jaw,  and  that  three  of  his  teeth  were  bro- 
ken off.  It  was  close  on  lunch-time  and  we  were  about  half 
a  mile  from  home.  "We  urged  him  to  let  one  of  us  run  back 
and  bring  the  pony  cart,  but  he  would  not  hear  of  it,  fearing 
that  if  his  mishap  became  known  to  the  elders  a  stop 
would  be  put  to  our  independence  and  all  our  fun  spoilt 
for  the  future.  So  he  struggled  home  in  his  shaken  and 
crippled  state  and  actually  made  the  attempt  to  endure 
his  pain  through  lunch  as  if  nothing  had  happened.  But 
his  dazed  condition  and  battered  face  at  length  attracted 
notice,  though  not  before  he  had  won  the  day  for  his 
brothers  and  himself,  for  the  serious  nature  of  his  accident 
was  never  realised  by  our  parents,  their  chief  fear  being 
lest  his  appearance  should  be  permanently  damaged.  So 
this  was  by  no  means  the  last  of  the  adventures  we  boys 
had  in  pursuit  of  our  pet  hobby.  In  after  years  we  often 
used  to  chaff  Boyd  about  his  accident,  telling  him  that 
though  we  ourselves  had  grown  out  of  the  boyish  craze  of 
egg  collecting  he  had  had  it  too  deeply  knocked  into  his 
head  on  that  occasion  ever  to  be  cured  of  it. 

Side  by  side  with  his  taste  for  natural  history  another 
excellent  boyish  characteristic  showed  in  the  form  of  a 
steadfast  hero-worship,  the  objects  of  which  were  never 
dethroned  from  his  regard,  but  remained  his  pattern  heroes 
to  the  end  of  his  life.  These  were  Napoleon  and  General 
Gordon.  In  viewing  the  record  of  Boyd's  achievements,  so 
remarkable  for  so  young  a  man,  and  one  that  has  placed  him 
among  the  great  explorers  of  history,  and  remembering 
this  early  hero-worship  of  his,  it  is  interesting  to  observe 
how  the  "child  was  father  to  the  man."  For  this  was 
the  inspiration  wThich  largely  helped  him  in  after  years 
to  overcome  well  nigh  unsurmountable  difficulties.  When 
alone  in  the  midst  of  dangers  and  fighting  the  leagued 
forces  that  fate  arrayed  against  him,  of  savage  men  and 


MEMOIR  19 

the  no  less  fearful  foes  of  fever,  famine,  and  flood,  like 
the  fighters  of  old,  he  carried  his  gods  into  the  battle,  and 
many  must  have  been  the  times  when  he  took  heart  from 
his  remembrance  of  the  lives  of  these  great  ideals,  the 
heroes  of  his  boyhood. 

Interesting  witnesses  to  his  veneration  for  these  great 
dead  remain  round  the  walls  of  his  museum  at  home  in 
an  almost  exhaustive  collection  of  their  histories  and 
lives,  and  in  many  a  fine  old  Napoleonic  engraving. 

Although  Boyd's  name  will  go  down  to  posterity  pre- 
eminently as  an  explorer,  it  is  interesting  to  know  that 
it  was  his  passion  for  ornithology  that  formed  the  main- 
spring of  all  his  achievements.  In  his  book,  "  From  the 
Niger  to  the  Nile,"  he  writes:  "Every  explorer  looks 
upon  the  map  of  that  part  of  the  world  which  particularly 
calls  him,  and  endeavours  to  find  a  spot  that  still  affords 
opportunity  for  the  special  powers  he  may  possess  for 
finding  out  the  secrets  that  it  hides.  The  mountaineer 
will  set  his  heart  upon  the  ascent  of  some  unconquered 
height.  Thus  Euwenzori,  the  highest  peak  of  the  African 
Continent,  had  attracted  the  attention  of  many  a  renowned 
alpinist,  finally  to  lower  its  crest  beneath  the  foot  of  the 
Duke  of  the  Abruzzi.  Other  travellers  have  distinguished 
themselves  in  that  form  of  exploration  which  depends 
for  its  success  upon  a  great  knowledge  of  peoples  and 
languages  ;  men  like  Barth  and  Burton  conquering  the 
desert  by  their  powers  of  getting  into  touch  with  the 
people  of  the  caravans.  The  great  humanitarian,  Living- 
stone, followed  the  map  as  it  is  expressed  by  the  distribu- 
tion of  the  tribes ;  while  geographers,  such  as  Stanley, 
have  left  the  featureless  desert  on  one  side,  and  taken 
their  ways  by  hills  that  make  beautiful  undulating 
shadings,  and  rivers  that  embroider  with  blue  veinings, 
and  lakes  that  shine  like  jewels — upon  the  map. 


20  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

"  In  Africa  Lake  Chad  was  the  last  gem  that  remained 
uncut  and  wanting  a  proper  setting.  There  it  lay  in  the 
desert  waiting.  For  the  last  decade  the  attention  of 
many  travellers  had  been  turned  to  it,  for  the  little  that 
was  known  of  it  was  so  mysterious  that  it  appealed  very 
much  to  the  imagination.  The  fact  that  it  was  a  desert  lake, 
with  the  reason  of  its  existence  unexplained,  stimulated 
speculation;  also  it  was  known  that  there  was  an  interest- 
ing people  inhabiting  the  islands,  about  whose  existence 
and  habits  very  little  had  been  found  out.  All  these  facts 
attracted  me,  and  there  was  the  distribution  of  the  fauna 
to  establish,  with  the  hope  that  a  locality  showing  geo- 
graphical peculiarities  might  also  reveal  marked  differences 
in  its  fauna.  This  last  idea  naturally  took  a  strong 
hold  of  me,  for  I  will  now  confess  that  my  ruling 
passion  is  ornithology,  and  all  my  exploration  might 
be  described  as  taking  the  course  of  the  birds." 

I  think  that  great  traveller  of  ancient  days,  Ulysses, 
must  have  been  an  ornithologist,  for,  to  hold  his  course 
for  home,  did  he  not  have  to  blindfold  his  eyes  and  stop 
his  ears  with  wax  against  the  sweet  sight  and  sound  of 
the  Sirens,  whose  bodies  were  feathered  like  the  bodies 
of  birds  ? 


CHAPTER   II 


HIS   EAKLIER   EXPEDITIONS 


NOW  I  must  go  back  to  the  school  days.  After  about 
a  year  and  a  half  spent  in  the  unhappy  place  I  have 
spoken  of,  our  parents  took  us  away,  and  I  cannot 
remember  feeling  a  single  regret.  For  about  a  year 
after  this  the  family  settled  near  Aldershot,  in  order  that 
the  twins  might  have  gymnastic  and  riding  lessons  at  the 
camp,  and  for  the  rest  of  their  education  they  were  in 
the  charge  of  a  tutor. 

In  the  autumn  of  1888  Boyd  and  Robin  went  to  Radley, 
and  our  ways  parted  for  some  years,  except  for  the 
crowded  and  eventful  holidays.  So  my  personal  recol- 
lections of  Boyd  at  this  period  must  necessarily  be  few, 
for  I  did  not  follow  my  brothers  to  Radley.  This  has 
since  been  to  me  a  matter  of  regret,  for  I  have  often 
heard  them  talk  of  the  inspiration  of  her  fine  traditions 
and  beautiful  surroundings,  and  I  have  had  the  pleasure 
of  meeting  their  dear  "social"  master,  Mr.  "Wharton, 
beloved  of  all  his  boys,  by  whom  he  was  known  as 
"  Kitty."  Nor  shall  I  ever  forget  the  excitement  of  the 
day  when  I  went  with  Boyd,  in  1907,  to  hear  him  lecture 
to  his  old  school  on  the  subject  of  his  journey  from  the 
Niger  to  the  Nile. 

After  leaving   Radley  some  years  were  spent  by  the 


'21 


22  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

twins  in  London  in  cramming  for  the  Army.  Here  the 
family  took  a  house  in  order  to  make  a  home  for  the  boys. 
There  is  not  much  that  I  can  tell  of  this  time,  for  I  was 
away  following  my  studies  in  another  direction.  All  that 
come  to  mind  are  stories  of  the  amusing  escapades  that 
young  men  kept  to  a  distasteful  task  and  feeling  their 
freedom  for  the  first  time  usually  indulge  in  ;  but  I  will 
pass  over  these. 

It  was,  I  think,  at  this  time  that  Boyd's  Napoleon 
worship  got  a  fresh  impetus,  and  much  of  his  time  which 
should  have  been  spent  in  more  orthodox  studies  was 
given  to  a  wide  reading  of  Napoleonic  literature  and  to 
the  ransacking  of  dusty  shops  in  out-of-the-way  places 
for  old  prints  and  engravings  connected  with  his  hero. 
Then,  of  course,  in  the  holiday  times  and  on  every 
slightest  opportunity  he  was  off  pursuing  his  hobby  of 
the  birds.  For  miles  round  our  home  the  keepers  must 
have  been  few  that  he  had  not  made  friends  of  and  the 
wood  not  to  be  found  that  he  had  not  explored. 

I  suppose  it  was  in  these  days  that  he  began  to  be 
known  to  the  authorities  of  the  British  Museum,  and  to 
lay  the  foundations  of  his  friendships  with  such  men  as 
Kay  Lankester,  Bowdler  Sharp,  Shelley,  C.  E.  Fagan, 
and  Ogilvie  Grant,  who,  I  am  sure,  must  have  welcomed 
a  young  recruit  of  so  much  enthusiasm. 

Looking  back  to  this  time  and  the  next  few  years,  it 
is  strange  for  me  now  to  think  how  little  Boyd's  family 
realised  how  seriously  the  boy  was  taking  himself,  and 
that  this  seeming  mere  hobby  was  in  reality  a  passionate 
pursuit  that  was  some  day  to  bring  him  not  only  great 
distinction  among  ornithologists  and  a  wide  recognition 
among  nature  lovers  in  general,  who  read  his  frequent 
articles  on  the  haunts  and  habits  of  birds,  but  also  world 
fame  as  an  explorer. 


MEMOIR  23 

These  reflections  remind  me  of  an  occasion  when  Boyd, 
as  a  young  man,  brought  home  on  a  visit  the  late  Captain 
Shelley,  the  well-known  ornithologist  and  writer  of 
learned  works  upon  African  birds.  If  in  those  days  my 
mother  was  slow  to  regard  ornithology  as  a  serious  occu- 
pation for  her  son,  it  was  quite  likely  that  she  would  not 
recognise  it  as  a  life-study  in  others ;  so  when,  by  way  of 
opening  conversation  at  dinner  on  the  first  evening,  she 
said  to  the  old  gentleman,  "  And  are  birds  as  much  a 
hobby  with  you  as  they  are  with  my  boy?"  and  he 
replied,  "Lord,  yes!  I'd  'a  shot  my  mother  if  she'd 
had  wings,"  she  was  rather  startled  but  greatly 
amused. 

To  those  who  know  what  patience  must  be  exercised  and 
what  sacrifice  of  time  must  be  made  by  one  who  wishes  to 
become  wise  about  birds  and  their  ways,  it  will  not  be  a 
surprise  to  learn  that  Boyd's  studies  suffered  sadly  in  other 
directions,  and  that  he  did  not  pass  high  enough  in  his 
examinations  to  obtain  a  commission  in  the  Rifle  Brigade. 
He  had,  however,  qualified  for  a  commission  in  a  cavalry 
regiment,  but  did  not  take  this  up,  and  his  annual  train- 
ing with  his  militia  battalion,  the  7th  Rifle  Brigade, 
which  he  had  joined  in  1893,  satisfied  his  military  ambi- 
tion for  a  time.  For  the  rest,  his  energies  were  entirely 
devoted  to  his  ornithological  work,  and  he  began  a  collec- 
tion, and  made  a  systematic  study  of  the  birds  of  Kent 
and  Sussex,  spending  the  spring  and  autumn  of  1896  on 
the  coast,  chiefly  in  a  tent  at  Rye,  where  he  made  obser- 
vations of  the  nesting  habits  and  migrations  of  the  birds. 
John  Springett,  whom  I  have  mentioned  before,  tells  the 
most  exciting  stories  of  his  adventures  with  Boyd  at  this 
time.  On  one  occasion,  when  Boyd  was  trying  to  obtain 
specimens  of  some  rare  birds,  he  chartered  a  fishing 
smack  and  went   out  in  a  storm.      It  was  a  terrible 


24  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

experience.  They  were  driven  out  to  sea,  and  all  night 
long  the  pumps  had  to  be  worked  to  keep  the  vessel 
afloat ;  yet  Boyd,  apparently  oblivious  to  the  danger,  was 
throwing  out  bits  of  paper  to  attract  the  birds  within 
range  of  his  gun.  It  was  two  days  and  a  night  before 
the  boat  could  get  back  to  port. 

In  the  same  year  began  to  appear  the  first  of  his  pub- 
lished notes  and  articles  upon  birds,  which  became  more 
frequent  as  the  years  went  on,  not  only  those  of  scientific 
interest  in  such  journals  as  the  Zoologist  and  Ibis,  but 
also  pleasant  descriptions,  decked  in  quaint  simile  and 
fanciful  phrase,  of  birds  and  the  wild  nature  of  their 
haunts,  which  appeared  in  Nature  Notes,  the  Field, 
Country  Life,  and  some  provincial  papers,  and  appealed 
strongly  to  the  wider  circle  of  all  those  who  are  lovers 
of  birds. 

In  speaking  of  Boyd's  writings  I  might  give  a  few 
observations  that  I  had  the  opportunity  of  making  of  the 
writer  in  him.  In  his  nature  there  was  a  strong  vein  of 
poetic  feeling ;  that  is  to  say,  he  sensed  life  by  the 
emotions  produced  by  things  and  not  by  his  knowledge 
of  them.  The  fine  phrase  or  graceful  image  that  wakes 
the  inner  vision  stirred  him  to  the  very  soul,  so  that  the 
moment  a  thought  came  to  be  for  him  worth  expres- 
sion language  had  to  leave  the  levels  of  fact  and  soar  to 
the  giddy  uplands  of  poesy.  That  is  why,  I  think,  we 
find  in  his  earlier  writings  a  tendency  to  overloading  and 
a  lack  of  simplicity  in  the  description  of  simple  things. 
For  want  of  judicious  pruning  the  phrases,  like  heavy, 
clustering  fruit,  weigh  down  the  thoughts  that  branch 
exuberantly  from  the  stem  of  a  simple  truth.  In  his 
youthful  days  he  adored  the  flowery-worded  romances 
of  Eider  Haggard ;  then,  later,  the  detailed,  pictorial 
writings  of  the  naturalist,  Kichard  Jefferies,  appealed  very 


MEMOIR  25 

strongly  and  must  have  had  a  considerable  influence  on 
his  own  style.  He  was  a  great  admirer  also  of  the  work 
of  Oscar  Wilde,  and  the  false  bejewelled  phrases  of  that 
great  writer's  verse  fascinated  him  with  a  charm  like  the 
charm  of  imitation  flowers.  One  found  him  revelling  in 
the  daring  artifices  of  the  younger  writers  such  as  Crack- 
enthorp,  whose  description  of  the  butchers'  shops  in  a 
foggy  London  street,  gleaming  with  "  the  scarlet  and 
old  gold  of  hanging  meat,"  greatly  tickled  his  imagina- 
tion. Then,  later,  his  fondness  for  a  "fruity"  style 
made  him  a  great  believer  in  Stephen  Phillips'  ultimate 
survival  among  the  poets,  and  he  loved  to  quote  the 
speech  of  his  mad  Herod,  picturing  the  city  he  would 
build,  beginning — 

"  Last  night  I  dreamed  of  a  dome  of  beaten  gold, 
To  be  a  counter  glory  to  the  sun," 

which  in  my  humble  opinion,  whatever  some  critics  may 
say  as  to  this  poet's  tendency  to  rhetoric,  has  sounded 
tones  that  echo  to  the  very  heights  of  Helicon. 

I  remember,  too,  that  the  shocks  of  Walt  Whitman 
and  the  buzz  of  his  busy  bee-hive  brain  aroused  Boyd's 
enthusiasm,  but  I  think  that  his  own  constant  difficulty 
with  and  consequent  impatience  of  form  tended  to 
increase  his  admiration  for  a  master  who  had  conquered 
form  by  simply  ignoring  its  existence. 

If  I  have  pointed  out  what  seemed  to  me  in  his 
earlier  writings  some  of  Boyd's  failings  it  is  with  a 
feeling  of  affection  even  for  these  weaknesses,  for  I  am  a 
strong  believer  in  the  excesses  of  youth.  And  if  I  take 
the  attitude  of  critic,  perhaps  I  shall  seem  more  deliberate 
when  I  say  that  I  believe  that  Boyd  has  written  on 
natural  history  subjects  with  a  power  of  observation  and 


26  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

charm  that  would  be  difficult  to  surpass.  I  would  cite  the 
chapter  in  "From  the  Niger  to  the  Nile  "  on  the  birds  of 
Northern  Nigeria  as  a  model  of  such  writing.  Take,  for 
instance,  the  note  upon  the  cuckoo.  Are  not  the 
character   of  the   bird   and  its   haunts   clearly    brought 

before  one  in  these  few,  well-chosen  observations  ? 

"During  the  dry  season,  when  the  water  is  low,  the 
view  across  the  river  is  often  interrupted  by  stretches  of 
sand-banks  and  small  islands  covered  with  tall  reeds  and 
fish-cane,  which  frequently  form  snug  back-waters,  that 
become  the  night  sanctuaries  of  many  birds.  A  locality 
such  as  this  is  a  favourite  home  of  the  Lark-heeled 
Cuckoo,  a  rather  remarkable  bird,  that  is  to  be  found  in 
the  vicinity  of  most  African  rivers.  It  is  about  the  size 
of  a  falcon,  with  upper  part  a  reddish  brown  and  the 
under  a  dull  white,  and  a  tail  powerful  and  big  for  its 
size.  It  seldom  makes  use  of  flight,  except  to  wing  its 
way  in  a  clumsy  flopping  manner  from  one  thick  retreat  to 
another,  where  at  times  it  gives  out  a  string  of  rich 
bubbling  notes.  The  best  time  to  observe  this  bird  is 
towards  sunset,  and  from  an  ambush  near  the  water  one 
can  watch  it  almost  as  closely  as  one  likes.  First,  one 
sees  troops  of  doves  come  down  to  the  pools  and  take 
their  last  drink,  and  batches  of  weavers  pitch  into  the 
reeds  with  rustling  flight  for  the  night.  Then  comes 
a  brief  stillness,  to  be  broken  shortly  by  a  creepy 
noise  in  the  reeds,  a  tussling  sound,  as  of  roots 
and  thick  growth  being  pulled  aside.  It  is  the  cuckoo 
working  its  way  in  rodent  fashion  through  the  columns 
of  the  reeds.  On  emerging  into  the  open  it  does 
not  neglect  to  reconnoitre,  and  climbs  cautiously  up  one  of 
the  stoutest  fish-canes  that  overhang  the  pool ;  but  there 
is  nothing  to  cause  alarm ;  merely  a  lonely  sandpiper 
running  along  the  pool's  edge,  and   a  nimble  waterhen 


MEMOIR  27 

treading  the  soft  carpet  of  weed.  Meanwhile,  more 
cuckoos  have  crept  out  from  their  thick  retreats  in  the 
same  cautious  manner,  and  now  one  and  all  begin  to  call 
the  females  to  their  sides  by  uttering  a  series  of  strong, 
deep  notes,  which  might  be  described  by  the  syllables 
"Ho,  ho,  ho,"  in  ascending  tones.  When  the  breeding- 
season  approaches,  the  cuckoos  may  frequently  be  heard 
in  the  middle  of  a  moonlight  night.  While  the  river 
flows  through  a  land  of  silence  they  are  still  wide  awake 
and  answering  one  another  with  their  far-reaching 
mellow  calls,  that  now  and  again  become  rapid  in 
utterance,  just  like  the  sound  of  water  bubbling  from  a 
long-necked  jar." 

Or,  again,  in  the  description  of  the  forest  animals  of 
the  Congo,  from  its  minuteness  and  quaint  fancy,  can 
we  not  construct  in  imagination  the  vastness  and  the 
faery  spell  of  the  Congo  forests  ? — 

"  Towards  nightfall  the  hunters  brought  in  their  strange 
spoil  to  their  Chief,  who  then  marched  triumphantly 
down  the  street  with  all  the  village  following  him.  The 
hunters  carried  many  animals  as  strange  as  the  mysterious 
forest  that  bred  them ;  gigantic  forest  rats  with  white 
bellies,  two  feet  from  head  to  tail;  others  a  rich  red  brown, 
with  backs  marked  like  chess-boards  and  snouts  as  long 
as  the  snouts  of  ant-eaters  ;  grizzly  mongooses,  that  rob 
fowls  of  their  eggs  by  night,  breaking  them  upon  stones 
before  eating  them ;  sweet-faced  phalangers,  with  eyes 
like  saucers  and  as  clear  as  amber ;  pangolins,  with  arched 
and  scaly  backs  like  coats  of  mail,  that  steal  through  the 
dark  places  of  the  forest  thrusting  their  long  tongues  like 
swords  into  the  holes  of  the  white  ant ;  huge  vampire 
bats,  with  teeth  like  sharks ;  and  many  other  strange 
animals  that  had  never  before  been  seen." 

Yes,  Boyd  was  not  merely  an  explorer  and  naturalist 


28  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

who  had  things  to  tell  and  told  them  well,  but  there 
was  in  his  nature  a  deep  strain  of  the  artist,  who  loves 
beautiful  words  for  their  own  sake. 

But  now  I  must  return  to  the  story  of  his  life.  Having 
put  aside  the  idea  of  a  regular  military  career,  he  had 
time  to  indulge  his  long-cherished  dream  of  becoming  an 
explorer  of  birds,  and  the  beginning  of  the  year  1897  sees 
him  setting  out  with  a  brother  officer  of  his  regiment, 
Captain  John  Duncan,  upon  an  expedition  to  the  Cape 
Verde  Islands,  where  the  two  friends  spent  four  months 
in  exploring  the  group,  with  the  most  successful  results. 
These  were  described  in  a  complete  paper  on  the  avi- 
fauna of  the  Cape  Verde  Islands,  appearing  in  the  Ibis 
for  1898. 

Finding  that  his  first  visit  had  been  too  late  for  the 
breeding  season,  he  paid  a  second  for  the  purpose  of 
obtaining  eggs,  and  an  account  of  his  further  work 
appears  in  the  Ibis  for  the  same  year. 

It  was  on  the  Cape  Verde  island  of  St.  Nicolas  that 
he  found  Jose  Lopez,  then  a  small  boy  working  on  his 
father's  boat  that  plied  between  the  islands.  He  brought 
Jose  home  with  him  and  trained  him  as  a  servant  and 
skinner,  and  the  boy  soon  repaid  the  confidence  placed  in 
his  choice  by  developing  remarkable  talents  for  the  varied 
work  of  exploration,  and  by  serving  his  master  with 
distinction  through  all  his  expeditions,  remaining  with 
him  almost  to  the  end. 

Poor  John  Duncan  did  not  long  survive  his  friend, 
and  died  in  July,  1911.  I  was  abroad  at  the  time,  not 
returning  till  some  months  after.  I  had  not  heard  the 
sad  news,  and,  believing  that  I  should  still  find  him,  I 
wrote  only  the  other  day,  July,  1912,  to  ask  him  to  stay 
with  me,  so  that  we  might  talk  over  his  old  times  with 
Boyd  for  the  purposes  of  this  memoir.     It  was  a  great 


MEMOIR  29 

shock  to  me  to  get  my  letter  back  with  the  bare 
announcement  of  his  death.  He  often  used  to  make  me 
laugh  with  his  accounts,  which  I  wish  I  could  recall,  of 
their  happy  days  on  the  Islands,  with  adventures  some- 
times queer,  sometimes  exciting,  invariably  coming  to  an 
amusing  ending.  Then  he  himself  would  laugh  loud 
and  long,  and  always  finish  up  with  the  same  remark, 
"  'Straordinary  chap,  Boyd,  you  know — marvellous 
fellow!  " 

In  1898  Boyd  joined  Major  Gibbon's  Cape  to  Cairo 
expedition,  which  set  out  from  Chinde  in  July.  In 
company  with  his  taxidermist,  Eamm,  of  Cley,  Norfolk, 
who  had  been  with  him  on  the  Cape  Verde  expedition, 
he  explored  the  lower  part  of  the  Zambesi  and  Kafuc 
Rivers,  and  made  a  large  collection  of  nearly  one  thousand 
birds'  skins,  representing  212  species,  several  of  which 
were  new. 

After  completing  his  work  on  this  Zambesi  collection, 
the  account  of  which  appeared  in  the  Ibis  for  1899, 
he  gave  soldiering  a  turn  and  left  England  to  serve  with 
the  Gold  Coast  Constabulary.  I  fancy  that  his  object 
was  to  save  money  in  order  to  develop  still  more 
ambitious  schemes  of  exploration.  However,  he  was 
lucky  and  saw  fighting  with  the  force  under  General 
Wilcocks  at  the  relief  of  Kumassi  in  1900.  This  was 
exceedingly  well  done,  and  a  bigger  affair  than  most 
people  at  home  ever  realised,  but  then  there  were  no 
correspondents,  and  everybody's  attention  was  at  that 
time  directed  to  the  war  in  South  Africa.  As  the  relief 
column  advanced  on  Kumassi  Jos£  followed  behind  and 
made  excellent  collections  of  birds  at  each  station  on  the 
lines  of  communication. 

An  incident  in   this  little  campaign,  which  shows  how 
Boyd's    passion    for    ornithology    dominated    all     other 


30  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

interests,  is  related  by  Ogilvie  Grant  in  his  article  on 
Boyd,  which  appeared  in  the  Ibis  for  October,  1910. 
He  relates  how,  shortly  after  the  occupation  of  Kumassi, 
Boyd  being  nowhere  to  be  found,  General  Wilcocks 
instituted  a  search  for  him,  and  eventually  he  and  Jose 
were  discovered  in  their  tent  outside  the  fort,  though 
the  surrounding  forest  was  still  swarming  with  hostile 
Ashantis.  On  being  asked  to  explain  his  reason  for 
running  such  risks,  he  said  that  if  he  remained  in  the 
fort  he  was  sure  to  be  called  on  for  duty,  whereas  in  his 
present  camp  he  was  less  likely  to  be  disturbed  and  had 
excellent  opportunities  for  increasing  his  bird  collection  ! 

This  story  reminds  me  of  a  less  serious  occasion,  when 
Boyd  was  at  a  shooting  party  and  the  heading  gun  at  a 
warm  corner.  After  the  birds  had  been  pumped  over  his 
position  for  some  time  and  went  streaming  away  without 
a  sound  issuing  from  his  gun,  his  host,  on  going  round  to 
find  out  the  cause,  met  Boyd  coming  out  of  the  under- 
growth in  another  direction,  proudly  carrying  a  diminutive 
but  rare  tit  that  had  lured  him  away  in  its  pursuit ! 

When  hostilities  at  Kumassi  were  at  an  end,  Boyd  was 
sent  with  a  column  of  Hausas  to  Gambaga,  the  head- 
quarters of  the  Northern  Territories.  While  there  he 
continued  his  collections,  obtaining  many  rare  and 
interesting  birds. 

On  leaving  Gambaga  in  May,  1901,  he  formed  an 
expedition,  and  trekked  by  way  of  Salaga  and  the  Kiver 
Volta  to  the  coast  at  Accra.  Upon  this  journey  he  made 
a  fine  collection  of  birds,  of  which  several  were  new  to 
science,  and  one,  a  honey-guide,  he  named  in  honour  of 
Sir  James  Wilcocks.  Many  of  the  specimens  obtained 
enabled  him  to  add  considerably  to  the  knowledge  of  the 
distribution  of  birds  in  this  little  known  part  of  Africa. 

I  have  been  told  that  Boyd  was  exceedingly  popular 


Boyd  Alexander    \i   the   w;e  ok  29,  in   [902. 


MEMOIR  31 

with  the  native  soldiers,  and  trained  those  that  came 
under  his  command  to  a  high  pitch  of  smartness.  This 
was  no  doubt  the  origin  of  their  nickname  for  him,  Sariki- 
na-Dakaru,  or  "  King  of  the  Soldiers,"  and  for  his 
justice  and  kindness  they  called  him  Da-ri '-Allah,  or  "Child 
of  God."  By  the  by,  I  am  reminded  that  he  was  nick- 
named "  The  Duke  "  by  the  rank  and  file  of  his  regiment 
at  home,  owing  to  a  likeness  in  profile  to  Wellington. 

On  returning  to  England,  Boyd  was  offered  and 
accepted  a  commission  in  the  Kifle  Brigade,  in  the 
militia  of  which  he  was  still  serving.  So  for  some  little 
time  his  energies  were  confined  to  the  parade-ground  and 
Salisbury  Plain,  and  working  out  his  Gold  Coast  col- 
lections in  his  spare  hours. 

However,  in  October,  1902,  we  find  him  taking  advan- 
tage of  a  few  months'  leave  and  making  an  expedition 
with  Jose  to  the  little  known  island  of  Fernando  Po. 
This  was  one  of  his  most  successful  undertakings,  and  he 
returned  to  England  at  the  end  of  December  with  a 
collection  numbering  nearly  500  specimens,  representing 
three  new  genera  and  103  species,  of  which  35  were 
hitherto  unknown.  He  attributed  this  remarkable 
success  to  having  traversed  the  high  ground,  which  had 
never  been  worked  by  his  predecessors.  A  full  account, 
with  coloured  figures  of  the  more  remarkable  discoveries, 
appeared  in  the  Ibis  for  1903. 


CHAPTER  III 

THE   ALEXANDER-GOSLING   EXPEDITION    FROM    THE    NIGER 
TO   THE    NILE   \ 

AND  now  we  come  to  the  year  1904,  which  saw  Boyd 
set  out  upon  a  project  more  ambitious  than  any  of 
his  previous  enterprises,  and  one  that  brought  him  and 
his  companions  worldwide  fame. 

The  mainspring  of  his  idea  was  to  cross  Africa  by  boat, 
and  so  point  out  the  wonderful  system  of  waterways  that 
he  believed  could  be  made  to  link  up  the  continent. 
Dependent  from  this  scheme  was  the  making  of  a  survey 
in  a  hitherto  little  known  part  of  Northern  Nigeria,  the 
exploration  of  the  mysterious  Lake  Chad,  and  the  form- 
ing of  zoological  collections  throughout  the  journey,  and 
with  this  last  the  extravagant  hope  of  bringing  home  a 
specimen  of  that  rarest  and  most  romantic  of  animals, 
the  okapi.  All  these  objects  were  achieved,  but  not 
without  payment  of  a  terrible  price,  for  of  the  three 
Englishmen  who  started  to  perform  the  whole  journey 
only  one,  the  leader,  lived  to  tell  the  tale.  And  death 
claimed  a  heavy  toll  from  the  natives  of  the  expedition  as 
well,  for  one  was  eaten  by  cannibals,  two  disappeared, 
probably  sharing  the  same  fate,  two  were  drowned  while 
the  boats  were  shooting  some  rapids,  and  the  last  life  lost 
was  that  of  a  brave  little  boy,  Quasso,  who  fell  a  victim 
to    sleeping-sickness  just  before  the  journey's  end,  but 

32 


MEMOIR  33 

^ 

struggled  on  gamely  to  die  within  site  of  the  Nile.  All 
these  things,  and  many  stories  as  well  of  hair-breadth 
escapes  from  death,  of  fighting  with  fierce  tribesmen,  of 
strange  peoples  and  places  that  no  white  man  had  before 
visited,  are  told  in  Boyd's  book  "  From  the  Niger  to  the 
Nile."  Therefore,  though  these  events  are  among  the 
most  important  of  his  career,  I  will  not  attempt  to  retell 
them,  but,  as  it  were,  use  my  little  lamp,  while  it  burns, 
to  throw  light  on  to  some  of  the  paths  that  lead  to  and 
from  these  more  brightly  illumined  centres  of  his 
fame. 

No  sooner  were  the  records  of  his  last  island  expedition 
finished  than  Boyd  set  his  mind  to  work  on  the  problems 
of  his  new  enterprise.  His  patience  and  resource  in 
developing  a  scheme  were  wonderful.  Every  available 
man  whose  knowledge  was  valuable  to  his  purpose  was 
interviewed  ;  every  book  that  threw  light  upon  any  of 
the  numerous  subjects  involved  was  read;  the  interest 
of  every  possible  person  of  power  to  help  on  the  project 
was  diplomatically  engaged.  But  the  most  important 
factor  of  all  in  the  success  of  launching  the  huge  enter- 
prise was  his  good  fortune  in  getting  his  brother  Claud 
to  join  him. 

Claud  had  not  long  returned  from  South  Africa,  where 
he  had  served  with  distinction  in  the  brigade  of  Guards, 
who  saw  the  war  through  those  long  three  years  in  the 
most  glorious  manner  to  the  end.  In  perfect  health,  and 
with  that  bright  air  of  confidence  that  makes  light  of  all 
difficulties  and  is  found  to  perfection  in  the  man  who  has 
seen  long  service  in  war,  Claud  was  the  man  in  ten 
thousand  for  Boyd's  purpose.  I  wish  that  I  had  space 
to  speak  more  of  him,  for  he  was  surely  one  of  the 
fairest  spirits  that  any  man  could  call  brother  and  friend. 
Six  years  younger,  of  brighter  intellect  and  possessing 

4 


34  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

more  talents  than  his  brother,  he  only  lacked  Boyd's 
ambition.  But  I  feel  sure  that,  had  he  lived,  Time 
would  have  brought  to  him  in  his  simple  following  of 
duty  laurels  as  proud  as  those  Boyd  sought  and  gathered. 
He  bore  an  equal  share  in  the  expenses  of  the  expedition, 
and  certainly  also  in  the  work,  but  his  name  has  become 
merged  in  the  name  of  his  brother. 

It  would  seem  that  Boyd  had  the  talent  of  his  hero, 
Napoleon,  in  his  power  to  pick  his  men,  for  no  braver 
or  more  capable  little  band  of  comrades  ever  left  England 
than  set  out  with  him  upon  this  long  quest.  There  was 
that  fine  soldier  and  sportsman,  Captain  G.  B.  Gosling, 
a  brother  officer  of  Boyd's,  whose  name  will  always  live 
in  the  name  of  the  expedition.  He  also  took  an  equal 
share  in  the  work  and  organisation,  but,  alas !  did  not 
live  to  enjoy  the  fame  that  awaited  him. 

Then  there  was  Mr.  Amaury  Talbot,  who  remained 
with  the  expedition  as  far  as  Lake  Chad,  when  the 
survey  work  was  finished  and  he  was  obliged  to  return 
home  to  complete  it.  He,  I  am  happy  to  say,  is  still 
with  us,  and  since  the  days  I  write  of  has  brought 
great  distinction  on  his  name  by  his  work  and  his  deeds 
of  self-sacrifice.  I  look  forward  with  eagerness  to  the 
appearance  of  his  book  on  his  labours  in  Southern 
Nigeria.  It  will  take  its  place  among  the  classics. 
Jose  Lopez,  too,  added  no  small  part  to  the  success  of 
the  expedition,  not  only  as  a  taxidermist  and  hunter, 
but  as  a  responsible  commander  of  men,  while  his  early 
training  when  a  boy  on  the  sea  was  invaluable  in  the 
management  of  the  boats. 

One  of  the  greatest  difficulties  that  Boyd  had  to 
contend  with  was  to  get  leave  of  absence  for  long 
enough  to  enable  him  to  carry  out  his  big  scheme,  and 
the  manner  in  which  he  overcame  it  is  a  good  example 


MEMOIR  35 

of  his  extraordinary  tenacity  of  purpose.  He  had  served 
so  short  a  time  with  his  regiment  that  it  was  very  natural 
to  find  that  his  colonel  did  not  approve  of  his  plan ; 
indeed,  he  told  Boyd  pretty  plainly  that  he  would  not 
have  a  young  subaltern  of  his  "gallivanting"  about 
Africa.  Boyd  then  laid  his  scheme  before  the  "War 
Office,  but,  Lord  Eoberts  taking  the  same  view  as  his 
colonel,  the  application  was  dismissed.  That  would  be 
enough,  one  would  have  thought,  to  cool  the  ardour 
of  any  man.  Not  so  with  Boyd,  who  tried  again,  this 
time  submitting  his  scheme  to  the  Intelligence  Depart- 
ment. This  all-powerful  body  approved,  and  so,  of 
course,  the  matter  was  settled. 

It  is  good  to  know  that  Lord  Roberts  bore  him  no 
resentment  for  this  apparent  want  of  respect  for  his 
authority,  for  the  great  man,  happening  to  meet  my 
sister  some  time  after  the  expedition  started,  asked  for 
news  of  Boyd,  and  expressed  a  hope  that  "the  dear 
boy  would  come  through  safely." 

After  the  second  tragedy  overtook  the  expedition  at 
Niangara  in  the  death  of  poor  Gosling  of  blackwater 
fever,  caught  in  the  fever-laden  swamps  of  the  Congo 
forest,  where  he  was  hunting  the  okapi,  Boyd  could  have 
brought  his  long  journey  to  an  end  with  comparative 
ease,  at  the  same  time  accomplishing  its  purpose,  by 
trekking  a  few  days  due  east  to  the  Nile.  But  instead 
of  doing  this,  although  sapped  himself  with  fever,  and 
feeling  at  the  end  of  his  strength  and  in  utter  gloom  of 
spirit,  he  went  out  of  his  straight  course  and  came  in 
his  boat  down  past  the  dangerous  rapids  of  the  Yei, 
a  river  never  before  navigated.  Afterwards,  when  I 
asked  him  why  he  did  this,  he  told  me  that  as  leader 
he  felt  the  responsibility  for  his  companions'  death  so 
acutely,  that  he  purposely  pressed  his  bosom,  as  it  were, 


36  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

against  the  sword  of  fate  that  it  might  have  every  chance 
of  striking  him  down  as  well. 

And  when  he  reached  Khartoum,  Boyd  had  not  seen 
the  end  of  his  sufferings,  for  as  cruel  a  blow  as  any  was 
awaiting  him  there  in  a  letter  telling  him  of  the  death 
of  our  mother  a  year  and  a  half  before. 

When  Boyd's  cable  came  telling  us  the  news  of  Claud's 
death,  our  poor  mother  was  lying  seriously  ill  in  an  hotel 
in  London,  too  ill,  in  fact,  to  be  told  the  terrible  tidings. 
Like  a  condemned  victim  who  is  sick  and  has  to  be 
nursed  back  to  meet  his  punishment,  we  watched  her 
being  slowly  brought  back  to  strength  till  one  awful 
day  when  the  news  could  not  be  held  from  her  any 
longer.  She  never  recovered  from  the  blow,  but  held 
on  to  life,  hovering  between  hope  and  despair  of  ever 
seeing  Boyd  again,  and  died  eight  months  after  of  a 
broken  heart. 

Boyd's  arrival  in  England  was  received  with  a  great 
deal  of  notice  in  the  Press,  and  his  first  few  weeks  at 
home  were  anything  but  restful,  what  with  the  attentions 
of  the  reporters  and  a  heavy  letter-bag  from  publishers, 
editors,  lecture  agents,  and  autograph  collectors.  The 
strange  thing  was  to  see  how  surprised  he  was  at  all  the 
fuss  ;  he  did  not  seem  to  realise  in  the  smallest  degree 
what  a  big  thing  he  had  done,  and  his  natural  shyness 
rose  almost  to  panic  when  I  assured  him  that  there 
was  no  running  away  from  the  publicity  which  must 
come  as  a  natural  consequence  from  his  deeds.  He  felt 
his  first  ordeal  very  much  of  having  to  deliver  a  lecture 
before  the  Boyal  Geographical  Society  of  London,  but 
it  was  such  a  signal  success  and  received  with  such 
breathless  interest  and  enthusiasm  by  the  crowded  and 
distinguished  audience  that  assembled  to  hear  him, 
that  this  experience  afterwards  became  a  very  pleasant 


MEMOIR  37 

memory,  and  gave  him  confidence  for  all  like 
subsequent  occasions. 

I  shall  not  easily  forget  my  impressions  of  that 
evening.  Boyd  was  so  delightfully  unexpected.  Friends, 
who  knew  of  his  shyness  and  remembered  his  very  quiet 
voice,  became  fearful  that  he  would  never  be  heard  in 
that  most  difficult  of  all  places  to  be  heard  in,  the  lecture 
theatre  in  Burlington  Gardens.  But  they  were  agreeably 
surprised,  for  his  voice  rang  out  clear  and  strong  without 
any  apparent  effort,  and  never  has  a  lecture  in  that  place 
been  better  heard.  And  people  present,  who  did  not 
know  him,  but  had  read  of  all  the  hardships  he  had 
endured,  and  came  expecting  to  see  a  rather  dried-up, 
prematurely  old  man  of  masterful  bearing,  saw  instead  a 
typical,  fresh-looking,  handsome  young  British  officer, 
who  carried  them  in  rapt  attention  along  with  him  as 
he  told  in  simple  language  the  story  of  his  triumphs  and 
misfortunes. 

How  delighted  he  was  at  the  reception  that  was  given 
him,  and  particularly  proud  to  hear  the  kind  words 
spoken  by  his  old  chief,  Sir  James  Wilcocks,  at  the 
close  of  the  lecture  ! 

Already,  six  months  before  he  got  through  to  Khartoum, 
a  telegram  was  awaiting  him  from  Edward  Arnold,  the 
publisher,  asking  if  he  might  publish  his  story  of  the 
expedition.  But  had  it  been  left  to  Boyd's  decision 
the  story  would  not  have  been  written,  as  he  felt  over- 
whelmed even  with  the  idea  of  collecting  and  writing  up 
the  scientific  results  alone.  Then  I  urged  him  to  recon- 
sider his  decision,  on  the  plea  that  if  not  for  his  own  part 
in  it,  still,  for  the  sake  of  the  memory  of  those  that  were 
lost,  the  thing  should  be  done.  Whereupon  he  turned  to 
me,  saying,  "  Well,  I  will  do  it  if  you  will  help  me 
through  with  it,  and  we  will  go  halves  in  the  profits !  " 


38  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

Of  coarse  I  would  have  done  all  I  could  for  hiin  without 
this  most  generous  proposal  on  his  part.  But,  as  it  was, 
I  hope  I  did  my  utmost  to  show  my  appreciation  of  his 
generosity,  and  from  that  day  to  the  day  when  the  last 
proofs  were  corrected  and  sent  in,  my  time  and  advice 
were  entirely  at  his  disposal.  For  this  event  in  my  life 
I  shall  never  cease  to  be  thankful,  for  although  I  was 
seriously  ill  at  the  time,  and  both  of  us  felt  the  great 
strain  of  working  against  time  so  as  to  keep  the 
publishing  agreement,  in  other  ways  I  was  very  happy, 
for  I  was  thrown  with  Boyd  during  the  best  part  of 
a  year,  in  closer  companionship  than  it  would  be  possible 
for  any  other  circumstances  to  have  brought  about. 

During  this  time  I  came  to  know  him  very  well.  He 
always  seemed  to  me  to  have  a  nature  as  simple  and  as 
hungry  for  sympathy  as  a  child's,  and  I  have  never  felt 
more  sorry  for  any  man,  for  he  gave  me  the  impression, 
even  at  the  height  of  his  fame  and  surrounded  by  his 
friends,  of  being  the  loneliest  man  I  have  known. 

In  the  first  months  of  our  working  together,  May  and 
June  of  1907,  we  used  to  plot  the  chapters  while  sitting 
in  the  sun  against  the  bank  of  my  wild  garden  at  Wils- 
ley.  It  was  on  the  24th  of  May,  three  years  afterwards, 
I  was  sitting  in  the  same  spot,  and  recalling  the  days 
when  Boyd  was  here  beside  me,  when  I  received  with 
awful  suddenness  the  news  that  he  had  been  murdered. 
And  now,  two  more  years  have  passed,  and  it  is  here  and 
leaning  against  the  same  bank  in  the  sun  I  am  writing 
these  recollections.  So  the  place  has  come  to  be  so 
closely  joined  with  his  memory  that  I  could  almost  feel 
that  his  spirit  was  here  to  guide  my  pen. 

After  working  in  these  surroundings  steadily  till  about 
the  middle  of  July,  Boyd  found  the  interruptions  of  home 
too  many,  and  so  we  went  into  camp  with  my  caravan  in 


MEMOIR  39 

the  most  picturesque  surroundings  near  Corfe  Castle,  a 
spot  chosen  for  us  by  my  friend,  Charles  Dear,  a  painter 
and  wise  vagabond,  who  came  with  his  sister  and  camped 
near  us,  sharing  with  us  the  pleasant  evening  meal  when 
work  for  a  time  was  done.  With  us  also  was  Martin 
Wood,  the  writer,  who  came  to  try  camping  as  a  rest 
cure.  He,  like  myself,  was  suffering  from  an  over- 
strained heart,  a  condition  that  forced  us  to  take  things 
very  much  more  slowly  than  the  others,  so  Boyd 
nicknamed  us  "  The  Hartebeests,"  a  word  that  was 
constantly  occurring  in  the  course  of  our  work  upon  the 
book.  Poor  Martin  Wood  may  have  found  rest  here  for 
his  limbs,  but  I  fear  not  for  his  brain,  for  when  the  proof- 
sheets  began  to  pour  in  we  kept  him  busy  at  reading. 
He  was  good-nature  itself. 

For  recreation,  Boyd  kept  his  motor-car  in  a  barn  near 
by,  and  on  Saturday  and  Sunday  used  to  take  a  holiday 
with  my  friends,  visiting  places  of  interest  that  were 
within  distance.  But  I  was  not  well  enough  to  go  with 
them. 

In  September  we  moved  our  camp  to  Studland,  to  be 
near  the  sea,  and  there  we  stayed  on  till  November,  after 
the  book  was  finished.  I  shall  never  forget  the  sense  of 
relief  and  joy  that  we  felt  when  the  last  chapter  had  been 
sent  in.  That  evening  we  had  a  firework  display  on  the 
edge  of  the  cliff  in  honour  of  the  occasion. 

I  have  heard  since  from  friends  that  Boyd  used  to  tell 
them  that  he  counted  this  one  of  the  happiest  times  of 
his  life.     The  knowledge  of  this  is  a  very  great  joy  to  me. 

That  winter  Boyd  was  invited  by  various  Geographical 
Societies  to  lecture  before  them,  and  I  accompanied  him 
on  a  tour  including  the  towns  of  Newcastle,  Dundee, 
Aberdeen,  Edinburgh,  Manchester,  Liverpool,  and  Bristol. 
It  was  my  province  to  work  the  lantern  and  see  to  the 


40  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

arrangements  of  the  halls.  Finally,  we  crossed  to 
Antwerp,  where  Boyd  received  the  honour  of  the  gold 
medal  from  the  Geographical  Society  of  that  city.  These 
were  pleasant  days ;  everywhere  we  were  entertained 
with  the  utmost  kindness  and  hospitality,  and  we  made 
many  friends,  some  of  whom  I  am  happy  to  say  are 
counted  among  my  most  valued  friends  to-day. 

At  the  end  of  his  lecturing  tour,  my  services  not  being 
required  by  Boyd  any  longer,  and  my  own  work  having 
suffered  neglect  for  the  last  year,  I  left  England  for  Italy 
in  May,  1908,  but  not  without  waiting  to  be  present  on 
the  memorable  occasion  when  Boyd  received  the  gold 
medal  of  the  Koyal  Geographical  Society  of  London. 

After  this  he  stayed  some  weeks  in  London,  working 
on  his  collection  from  the  Niger  to  the  Nile  expedition, 
and  later  on  in  the  summer  spent  most  of  his  time  at 
home,  where  there  was  plenty  for  him  to  do  in  his 
museum.  No  doubt,  too,  his  thoughts  were  much 
occupied  with  plans  for  his  future  expedition. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  there  came  to  Boyd  the  most 
important  thing — the  love  of  his  life.  It  is  a  thing  far  too 
near  in  point  of  time  and  too  pathetic  in  its  circumstances 
for  me  to  care  to  speak  of,  but  I  feel  that  no  account  of 
his  life  could  be  at  all  a  true  one  which  passed  it  by,  so  I 
will  tell  the  story  as  simply  as  I  can,  in  all  reverence. 

It  was  one  day  this  summer,  1908,  he  met  for  the  first 
time,  Olive,  the  daughter  of  Sir  Beginald  and  Lady 
Agnes  MacLeod  of  MacLeod,  who  live  at  Vinters  near 
Maidstone.  Miss  MacLeod  came  over  with  a  mutual 
friend  to  luncheon  and  to  see  Boyd's  museum.  A  friend- 
ship was  formed,  which,  after  only  a  few  meetings,  on 
the  part  of  Boyd  ripened  into  love.  I  did  not  hear  of 
this  event  till  I  returned  to  England  in  September,  when 
he  told  me.     Things  had  happened  so  swiftly  that  it  was 


MEMOIR  41 

only  natural  that  time  should  be  required  for  deliberation, 
and  nothing  was  settled  until  after  Boyd  had  left 
England.  I  myself  did  not  meet  Miss  MacLeod  till 
after  he  had  sailed,  but  when  we  did  meet  it  was  easy 
for  me  to  realise  that  he  was  as  ambitious  in  love  as  he 
was  in  his  other  achievements,  and  if  for  nothing  else  I 
shall  be  grateful  to  his  memory  for  this  alone,  that  he  has 
given  me  so  dear  a  friend. 

The  thing  that  strikes  me  as  so  wonderful  in  the 
whole  story  is  the  fact  that  Boyd  in  those  few  brief 
meetings  was  so  quick  to  see,  by  some  sort  of  intuition 
perhaps,  in  this  gentle,  home-loving  girl  the  heroic, 
dauntless  mate  for  his  own  spirit ;  for  truly  the 
journey  which  she  performed  and  the  dangers  through 
which  she  passed  afterwards  in  order  to  learn  the  true 
circumstances  of  his  death  and  to  pay  her  last  tribute 
at  his  grave  make  a  story  of  devotion  unsurpassed  even 
in  the  pages  of  romance. 

A  year  of  such  self-sacrificing  tribute  to  a  memory 
was  surely  equal  to  a  lifetime  of  mourning  in  the  midst 
of  the  comforts  and  sympathy  of  home,  and  my  dearest 
hope  for  her  was  realised  when  Miss  MacLeod,  two 
years  after  my  brother's  death,  wrote  to  tell  me  she 
was  going  to  be  happy  continuing  her  work  in  Africa, 
where  all  her  interests  had  come  to  be  bound  up,  as 
the  wife  of  Charles  Temple,  Secretary  for  Northern 
Nigeria. 

If  a  man's  greatness  can  be  measured  by  the  love 
and  devotion  of  his  fellows  then  surely  Boyd  was  great ! 
Amaury  Talbot  and  his  brave  wife,  on  hearing  of  Miss 
MacLeod's  wish  to  make  the  dangerous  journey  to  the 
sad  scenes  in  Africa,  in  pity  for  her  sorrow  and  in 
devotion  to  my  brother's  memory  gave  their  services 
as    escort.      Without    the    help    of    these    experienced 


42  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

travellers  it  would  have  been  well-nigh  impossible  for 
Miss  MacLeod  to  have  accomplished  her  purpose,  and 
so  it  is  to  these  three  brave  souls  that  our  eternal 
gratitude  is  due,  for  had  it  not  been  for  them  it  is 
little  likely  that  we  should  have  ever  heard  the  true 
history  of  the  circumstances  leading  up  to  my  brother's 
death. 


CHAPTER    IV 

HIS   LAST   JOURNEY  AND   DEATH 

BUT  now  I  must  go  back  to  the  time  prior  to  his 
last  expedition  and  endeavour  to  trace  the  cir- 
cumstances that  influenced  his  purpose  in  setting  out 
on  this  great  journey.  Long  before,  as  may  be  seen 
from  his  reference  to  the  subject  in  his  book,  he  was 
greatly  interested  in  the  political  problem  that  faces 
England  in  Darfur.  It  was  his  opinion  at  that  time — 
I  am  talking  of  four  or  five  years  ago — that  we  should 
sooner  or  later  be  involved  in  a  war,  as  has  since  been 
the  case  with  the  French  in  Wadai.  Here  is  an 
extract  upon  the  Wadai  situation  from  his  book  : — 

"It  is  doubtful  if  Wadai  will  be  able  to  disregard 
the  White  Man  much  longer,  and  if  his  capitulation 
can  be  brought  about  by  peaceful  measures,  so  much 
the  better  for  all  concerned.  A  military  expedition 
paralyses  a  country  for  several  years,  and  it  should  be 
the  endeavour  of  all  Governments,  especially  in  the 
Mohammedan  provinces  of  Africa,  to  sheathe  the  sword 
as  much  as  possible,  and  by  propitious  and  kindly 
means  win  over  the  independent  potentates  and  chiefs, 
and  through  them  rule  their  people.  After  all,  they 
are  the  rightful  owners  of  the  country,  and  the  only 
excuse  for  interfering   can   be  on   the   grounds  of  pro- 

43 


44  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

tecting  the  community  of  trade  interests.  Wadai  may 
yet  save  his  skin,  if  he  choose  to  follow  the  example 
of  Ali  Dinar." 

I  remember  that  he  spoke  to  me  on  several  occasions 
of  the  possibility  of  a  peaceful  mission,  adding  that  it 
would  be  a  grand  thing  to  do,  to  get  through  to  El 
Fachir,  the  capital,  and  win  the  confidence  of  the 
great  Sultan,  Ali  Dinar,  and  try  to  make  him  see 
that  a  whole-hearted  acknowledgment  of  Britain's 
suzerainty,  with  active  co-operation  in  the  suppression 
of  the  slave  trade,  was  the  wisest  course  for  his  own 
welfare.  This  I  think  was  Boyd's  chief  object,  but 
as  far  as  I  know  he  did  not  speak  of  it  to  another 
soul  for  fear  of  official  interference.  Besides,  it  was 
extremely  likely  that  he  would  be  obliged  to  turn  back, 
and  therefore,  however  much  useful  work  he  had 
accomplished  by  the  way,  his  expedition  as  advertised 
would  be  considered  a  failure.  And  so  he  divided  his 
journey  into  three  phases,  so  he  termed  them;  the 
first  was  to  make  an  ornithological  collection  in  the 
Cocoa  Islands  of  San  Thome,  Principe,  and  Annobon ; 
the  second  to  cross  over  to  the  mainland  and  ascend 
the  Cameroon  peak  for  the  same  purpose,  afterwards 
following  a  route  through  the  Cameroons  northwards 
to  Bornu,  where  he  wished  to  visit  Claud's  grave;  and 
finally,  if  the  fates  proved  propitious,  to  fit  out  a 
caravan  of  camels  and  make  the  journey  through 
Wadai  to  Darfur  and  thence  to  Khartoum.  And  we 
find,  by  his  diary,  that  had  he  met  with  a  refusal 
from  the  French  to  let  him  go  through  their  territory, 
so  determined  by  this  time  was  he  to  fulfil  his  purpose 
at  all  costs,  that  he  had  actually  been  experimenting 
with  a  dye  for  his  skin,  in  order,  as  a  last  resort,  to 
disguise  himself  and  attempt  to  get  through  as  an  Arab. 


MEMOIR  45 

However,  this  alternative  was  not  necessary,  and  it 
will  presently  be  seen  that  he  all  but  succeeded  in  his 
ambitious  attempt.  For  had  he  waited  in  Abechir 
three  days  longer  he  would  in  all  probability  have 
accomplished  his  purpose — a  purpose  for  which  his 
great  exemplar,  Gordon,  also  died.  And  his  death  by 
those  three  days  was  not  owing  to  misjudgment  on 
his  part,  but  because  he  pressed  forward  voluntarily, 
taking  all  risks  in  an  attempt  to  save  bloodshed  for 
the  honour  of  his  own  and  in  service  to  a  sister 
nation. 

If  I  were  asked  to  speak  of  the  thing  that  struck 
me  most  about  Boyd  as  I  saw  him  on  the  last  few 
occasions  that  we  were  together,  I  should  say  that  he 
gave  me  the  impression  that  he  did  not  really  want 
to  go.  There  was  not  the  old  enthusiasm  about  him 
and  impatience  to  be  off.  Probably  his  keenness 
returned  to  him  when  he  found  himself  once  more 
upon  the  old  trail.  But  here  in  England  his  outlook 
on  life  had  changed,  a  tender  vision  of  a  home  had 
come  to  him  and  he  longed  to  realise  it.  Moreover, 
under  happier  circumstances  he  would  never  have 
chosen  to  go  alone,  at  least  not  all  the  way,  but  after 
the  tragedies  of  his  former  journeys  he  never  would 
risk  another  white  man's  life  again. 

When  he  thought  how,  of  the  three  comrades  who 
set  out  to  cross  Africa  on  the  previous  journey,  he  alone 
had  survived  and  by  so  little,  it  must  have  occurred  to 
him  sometimes  that  he  was  leading  a  forlorn  hope 
against  fate  to  attempt  alone  this  still  more  difficult 
quest.  My  father  was  strongly  opposed  to  his  going, 
telling  him  he  had  done  enough,  and  reminding  him 
of  the  enormous  sacrifices  he  had  already  made,  and 
he    quoted    the    story    of    the    pitcher    and    the    well. 


46  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

Boyd's  reply  was,  "  Well,  it's  got  to  be  done  now, 
every  one  expects  it  of  me."  Once  I  asked  him  why 
he  must  attempt  such  a  stupendous  journey,  and  sug- 
gested that  it  would  be  surely  enough  to  make  the 
island  voyage  to  keep  himself  going,  and  his  answer 
was  that  he  could  never  do  a  smaller  thing  now  than 
his  Niger  to  the  Nile  expedition,  and  he  added,  "You 
see,  when  once  one  is  a  marked  man  one  is  not 
allowed  to  stop,"  and  then  with  a  laugh,  "  I  don't 
suppose  I  shall  get  any  rest  till  I  leave  my  bones  in 
Africa."  This  was  so  different  from  the  man  I  had 
seen  go  out  on  his  former  journeys,  and  filled  me  with 
foreboding  for  the  moment.  However,  as  time  went 
by  and  we  heard  of  his  coming  safely  so  far  on  his 
road  and  through  so  many  adventures,  I  came  to 
believe  again  in  his  charmed  life. 

In  the  spring  of  1910  I  was  much  occupied  with  a  plan 
of  my  own  and  was  not  worrying  about  Boyd  in  the 
least,  when  a  strange  thing  happened  to  me.  On  the 
2nd  of  April  I  had  spent  the  evening  happily  with  friends, 
and  after  glancing  through  the  papers  went  to  bed  a  little 
before  midnight  and  fell  sound  asleep.  About  two  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  or  it  may  have  been  later,  for  I  did  not 
take  the  time,  but  judged  by  the  light,  I  woke  up  in 
tears  at  the  horror  of  a  dream.  First  of  all  in  the  dream 
there  was  a  sensation,  not  a  visual  picture,  of  a  gathering 
terror  like  the  news  of  a  rebellion,  then  I  saw  Boyd 
illumined  from  the  darkness  of  night,  standing  up 
surrounded  by  angry  natives,  who  were  armed.  He  was 
trying  to  speak  to  me,  but  I  did  not  hear  his  voice ; 
rather  it  was  as  if  the  whole  air  was  echoing,  "  I  am  in 
their  power."  Then  suddenly  he  was  swallowed  up 
in  darkness. 

Next  day  I  was  going  into  the  Arts  Club,  when  I  met 


MEMOIR  47 

a  friend,  who  said  to  me,  "  Well,  have  you  had  any  news 
of  Boyd  lately?"  I  said,  "No,  not  for  ages";  then 
suddenly  recollecting  my  dream  I  added,  "  Unless  dreams 
are  news."  "What's  that?  "  he  said.  "Have  you  seen 
something?"  "Don't  ask  me,"  I  replied;  "it  is  too 
horrible  to  speak  of." 

After  this  I  never  had  any  hope  of  seeing  Boyd  again, 
and  as  time  went  on  I  even  told  my  intimate  friends  of 
the  dream.  One  effect  it  had  on  me,  I  could  not  have 
said  why  at  the  time,  was  to  make  me  anxious  to  get  to 
know  Miss  MacLeod  better,  and  I  went  over  and  stayed 
at  Vinters,  and  we  became  great  friends.  I  understood 
why  it  was  afterwards,  when  I  had  to  break  to  her  the 
news  which  arrived  seven  weeks  after  the  day  of  my 
dream.  When  it  did  arrive  the  report  said  that  Boyd 
was  killed  on  April  2nd,  and  lately  I  have  heard  that  his 
death  happened  at  about  six  o'clock  in  the  evening,  so 
my  dream  came  some  hours  later. 

The  first  news  of  the  tragedy,  which  told  merely  the 
bare  facts,  arrived  by  telegram,  and  it  was  not  until  some 
seven  weeks  later  that  letters  arrived.  These  told  little 
more  than  the  telegram,  and  gave  no  account  of  the 
circumstances  that  led  up  to  the  tragedy,  so  that  our 
minds  could  come  to  no  conclusions.  It  was  then  that 
Miss  MacLeod  determined  to  make  her  journey,  first  to 
Maifoni,  where  Boyd's  remains  had  been  brought  to  be 
buried,  and  then  on  to  Fort  Lamy,  where  she  could  get 
in  touch  with  the  French  officers  with  whom  he  had 
spent  the  last  months  of  his  life. 

On  hearing  of  her  wish,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Amaury  Talbot 
proved  their  great  devotion  to  my  brother's  memory  by 
offering  their  escort,  although  they  had  never  met  Miss 
MacLeod  before.  Arrangements  were  made  with  re- 
markable   speed,   and  the  companions   started  on   their 


48  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

journey  on  the  10th  of  August.  On  arriving  in  the 
country  a  change  in  the  order  of  the  route  was  made,  and 
the  party  went  first  to  Fort  Lamy.  There  Commandant 
Maillard  and  Captain  Facon,  to  whose  chivalry  our 
family  is  deeply  grateful,  told  all  that  they  knew  of  my 
brother's  last  days,  and  handed  over  to  Miss  MacLeod 
his  diaries,  which  had  been  saved. 

In  the  meantime  many  conflicting  rumours  concerning 
his  death  reached  England  and  were  circulated  in  the 
Press.  These  have  never  been  corrected,  and  the  story 
has  now  to  be  told.  Therefore  we  can  never  feel 
grateful  enough  to  the  three  brave  comrades  whose 
untiring  labours  have  enabled  me  to  give  the  account 
that  follows. 

In  the  beginning  it  will  be  as  well,  I  think,  to  tell  a 
few  of  the  events  that  happened  in  the  time  just  before 
Boyd  started  from  Abechir  on  the  journey  that  ended  in 
his  death. 

On  his  arrival  at  Fort  Lamy  he  was  given  leave  by 
Qolonel  Moll,  then  commanding  the  Military  Territory  of 
Chad,  to  make  his  desired  traverse  of  the  French 
provinces  to  Darfur,  as  the  country  was  then  considered 
safe.  But  before  he  reached  Abechir,  the  capital  of 
Wadai,  fresh  fighting  had  broken  out,  and  when  he  was 
at  a  place  called  Yao  news  reached  him  of  the  annihilation 
of  a  French  force.  Boyd  at  once  sent  forward  a  letter  to 
the  Commandant  of  Abechir  volunteering  the  services  of 
himself  and  his  men,  but  the  offer  was  refused. 

Abechir  had  only  been  occupied  some  eight  months 
previously,  when  Moude  Mourra,  the  Sultan  of  Wadai,  had 
fled  without  offering  much  resistance.  He  was  then 
deposed  by  the  French,  who  appointed  his  half-brother, 
Assil,  in  his  stead.  Meanwhile  Moude  Mourra  gathered 
round   him    all    the    malcontents    of    the    neighbouring 


MEMOIR  49 

countries,  and  from  that  time  onwards  has  caused  the 
French  perpetual  trouble.  On  Boyd's  arrival  at  Abechir 
the  Commandant  would  not  allow  him  to  go  on,  as 
he  considered  the  country  was  in  too  dangerous  a  state. 
Then  Boyd  urged  that  he  might  be  allowed  to  continue 
his  Journey  by  the  road  to  Mourra  running  due  east, 
which  he  believed  to  be  safe.  The  Commandant,  how- 
ever, did  not  share  this  belief,  but  suggested  two  alterna- 
tives, either  that  he  should  go  south  and  take  up  the 
route  recently  followed  by  Dr.  Kumm,  or  that  he  should 
send  a  messenger  to  Ali  Dinar,  Sultan  of  Darfur,  asking 
for  a  safeconduct.  Boyd  chose  the  latter  course, 
although  it  meant  the  delay  of  about  a  month,  and 
accordingly  sent  a  messenger  to  Ali  Dinar  with  a  letter 
making  his  request  and  telling  him  that  he  would  bring 
him  a  present  of  ^100,  a  horse  and  a  gun.  This  was  on 
the  3rd  of  March. 

Towards  the  end  of  that  month  a  large  body  of  Furian 
troops  entered  Wadai,  burning  and  pillaging  villages  to 
within  a  few  miles  of  Abechir.  Before  crossing  the 
border  they  had,  while  at  Nyeri  in  Dar  Tama,  seized 
Boyd's  messenger,  though  his  letter,  it  was  reported,  had 
been  sent  on  to  the  Sultan. 

By  international  law  the  French  might  not  carry 
reprisals  into  the  British  sphere  of  influence,  and  were 
the  invaders  proved  to  be  really  Furians,  might  claim  an 
indemnity,  and  the  matter  entail  serious  diplomatic 
negotiations. 

With  the  consent  of  the  Commandant,  Boyd  set  out 
from  Abechir  to  ascertain  the  facts  and  investigate  the 
amount  of  damage  done,  in  order  that  he  might  draw  up 
a  report  upon  the  situation.  He  left  some  of  his  things 
at  the  capital  and  gave  the  Commandant  his  word 
to  return. 

5 


50  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

He  started  on  March  29th,  and  on  April  2nd,  having 
already  collected  much  information,  found  himself  within 
a  day's  march  of  Nyeri,  the  capital  of  Dar  Tama,  the 
place  where  his  messenger  had  been  seized. 

To  make  the  position  clear,  I  must  tell  you  that  the 
Chief  of  that  country,  Othman,  had  been  deposed  by  the 
French  a  few  months  before,  who  had  appointed  another 
in  his  place.  The  latter  was,  however,  soon  over- 
thrown by  the  Massalits.  Othman,  who  had  fled  to  E 
Fachir  for  protection,  was  now  reinstated  by  Ali  Dinar's 
troops,  and  entered  his  capital,  Nyeri,  on  the  8th  of 
March. 

While  Boyd  was  engaged  on  these  investigations  news 
was  brought  to  him  of  an  impending  combat  between  the 
Furians  and  a  French  column  under  Captain  Chauvelot. 
He  therefore  determined  to  hurry  on  towards  Nyeri,  in 
the  hope  that  he  might  be  able  to  intervene  as  an 
Englishman  between  the  two  forces,  and  so  prevent 
bloodshed.  But  the  three  emissaries,  who  had  been  sent 
by  Assil,  Sultan  of  Wadai,  to  accompany  him  on  this 
little  expedition,  begged  him  to  turn  back,  as  they 
thought  the  risks  too  great.  He  would  not  do  so,  and 
they  returned  to  Abechir  without  him.  Jose  had  added 
his  entreaties  to  theirs.  He  knew  that  if  he  turned  back 
the  Hausas  would  throw  in  their  lot  with  his ;  so, 
thinking  to  deter  his  master  from  what  he  considered  too 
dangerous  an  enterprise,  he  also  refused  to  go  on. 
Whereupon  Boyd  rode  forward  alone. 

Finding  that  his  action  did  not  have  the  desired  effect, 
and  realising  that  he  never  could  go  back  to  Abechir 
without  his  master,  Jose  went  forward  once  more  with 
the  Hausas  and  overtook  Boyd  after  he  had  been  some 
hours  upon  his  march  alone  towards  Nyeri. 

People  have  been   inclined  to  blame  Boyd   for  fool- 


MEMOIR  51 

hardiness,  but  he  believed  that  Ali  Dinar's  principal  men 
were  at  Nyeri,  and,  had  he  been  able  to  get  into  personal 
touch  with  them,  he  might  have  succeeded  in  his 
humane  object. 

It  was  obvious  that  the  little  party  came  in  peace,  for 
their  only  weapons  were  two  revolvers  and  a  rifle,  carried 
in  the  baggage. 

At  5.30  in  the  evening  they  reached  a  little  village 
called  Ilarne,  a  mile  from  Nyeri,  where  they  made  their 
camp  beneath  a  big  tree  by  the  roadside.  Boyd  sent  at 
once  to  advise  the  Sultan  of  his  presence,  and  to  say  he 
would  visit  him  next  morning.  Accompanied  by  two 
Furians,  the  village  people  brought  him  the  customary 
present,  but  they  seemed  so  excited  and  unfriendly  that 
Jose  begged  his  master  to  take  the  money  and  papers  on 
their  horses  and  fly  while  there  was  yet  time.  But  this 
Boyd  would  not  do. 

In  an  hour's  time  the  two  Furians  returned,  together 
with  some  of  Sultan  Othman's  men  and  a  crowd  of 
natives,  all  armed  with  clubs  and  rifles.  They  ordered 
Boyd  to  come  with  them  to  the  Sultan.  No  white  man 
could  submit  to  such  treatment,  so  he  quietly  refused,  but 
at  the  same  time  repeated  his  intention  of  going  next 
morning.  Then  some  of  them  laid  hold  of  him  and 
attempted  to  drag  him  off,  while  others  seized  upon  the 
camels  and  the  baggage.  Meantime  Jose  ran  for  his 
rifle.  It  was  unloaded,  and  he  could  find  no  ammunition. 
But  he  pointed  the  weapon  as  it  was  at  the  men  who 
were  running  up  to  seize  himself,  and  pretended  that  he 
was  about  to  fire. 

At  this  they  fell  back  a  moment,  not  daring  to  attack 
him,  and  he  was  thus  able  to  gain  cover  in  the  bush  by 
the  roadside.  At  the  same  time  he  heard  a  shot,  and 
saw  Boyd  surrounded  by  men  who  were  striking  him  with 


52  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

clubs,  while  his  master  defended  himself  with  his  fists, 
calling  out  all  the  time  "  Jose !  Jose !  " 

Believing  himself  to  be  powerless  to  help,  Jose  suc- 
ceeded in  escaping,  and  luckily  finding  his  horse  rode 
into  Abechir  on  the  5th  of  April,  where  he  made  a 
deposition  before  the  Commandant. 

On  the  7th  of  April,  five  days  after  the  murder,  Captain 
Chauvelot,  in  command  of  the  French  forces,  met  and 
defeated  the  Furians  at  Guereda,  and  found  among  the 
enemy's  deserted  baggage  upon  the  battlefield  a  box  be- 
longing to  Boyd.  It  had  been  broken  open,  but  the  diary 
and  a  few  papers  were  left  in  it.  This  was  the  first  hint 
Captain  Chauvelot  received  of  the  tragedy.  Native 
rumour,  however,  soon  supplied  details,  but  the  French 
officer  lost  no  time  in  pressing  forward  in  the  hope  of 
rendering  assistance.  At  the  same  time  the  Sultan  of 
Wadai's  messenger  reported  to  him  that  he  had  just  come 
from  Ali  Dinar,  who  had  treated  him  with  civility,  and 
had  given  him  letters,  both  to  the  Sultan  Othman  and 
to  his  general,  Abdul  Bashid,  with  instructions  that  the 
utmost  consideration  and  assistance  should  be  given  to 
Boyd.     These  letters  arrived  five  days  too  late. 

On  his  arrival  at  Ilarne  Captain  Chauvelot  found 
Boyd's  remains  half  buried  beneath  a  pile  of  stones. 
Death  was  due  to  a  rifle-shot  and  to  blows  from  clubs 
and  stones.  For  fifty  yards  the  ground  bore  marks  of 
resistance ;  then  they  ceased,  and  the  track  of  the  body 
on  the  earth  was  even,  showing  that  the  struggle  was 
at  an  end. 

Most  heartfelt  gratitude  is  due  to  Captain  Chauvelot 
and  his  companions  for  the  minute  study  they  made  of 
every  detail,  and  for  the  care  and  reverence  with  which 
they  brought  the  remains  to  Abechir. 

From  Abechir  they  were  carried  to  Fort  Lamy,  and 


MEMOIR  53 

thence  to  Maifoni  under  Jose's  charge.  There  Boyd  was 
buried  with  full  military  honours  beside  his  brother  Claud. 

It  is  strange  to  think  that  though  they  died  nearly  a 
thousand  miles  apart  the  two  explorer  brothers  now  lie 
together  in  the  little  graveyard  under  the  tall  white-flowered 
acacia-tree,  the  spot  that  Boyd  had  chosen  for  Claud's  rest- 
ing-place four  years  before  he  came  to  join  him.  Just  a 
little  way  off,  the  fort  stands  looking  out  across  a  great 
stretch  of  country  from  the  summit  of  a  slope.  Here 
the  sentry  on  his  rounds  guards  the  graves,  and  every 
hour  the  bugle  sounds  over  all.  For  a  year  and  more 
Claud  lay  there  alone,  but  afterwards  others  came  to  join 
him  and  the  little  graveyard  has  been  enlarged.  There 
also  lies  the  great  explorer  Overweg,  whose  bones  for  a 
long  time  lay  lost  in  an  unknown  grave  near  Lake  Chad. 
The  graves  are  bright  with  flowers,  and  over  those  of 
Boyd  and  Claud  stand  a  headstone  and  a  cross  carved 
by  Alexander  Fisher.  The  headstone,  which  is  upon 
Boyd's  grave,  was  taken  out  from  England  and  set  up  by 
Miss  MacLeod  and  her  companions. 

Here  at  home  the  fame  of  the  two  brothers  will  endure 
in  a  memorial  in  marble  by  Professor  Colton,  A.R.A.,  that 
will  shortly  be  set  up  in  the  Parish  Church  by  the  sub- 
scriptions of  some  of  their  fellow-citizens  of  Cranbrook 
and  admirers  throughout  the  world. 

When  the  news  of  my  brother's  murder  struck  its 
terrible  blow  at  home,  if  there  was  one  thing  that 
lightened  our  sorrow  it  was  the  proof  of  universal  sym- 
pathy that  we  received.  In  the  days  that  followed 
letters  and  messages  came  from  all  parts  of  the  world, 
not  only  from  personal  friends,  but  also  from  official 
bodies  of  great  nations,  from  people  unknown  to  us  but 
who  admired  Boyd's  fame,  and  from  others  who  felt  they 
were  his  friends  through  reading  his  book. 


54  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

I  give  the  following  words  spoken  by  Mr.  Amaury 
Talbot  when  lecturing  before  the  Eoyal  Geographical 
Society  soon  after  the  sad  news  came  home,  for  they 
form  a  tribute  very  precious,  seeing  that  they  come  from 
a  man  himself  distinguished  in  the  field  of  exploration, 
who  was  a  comrade  of  my  brothers.  Afterwards  by  his 
deed  of  self-sacrifice  he  proved  the  perfect  sincerity  of 
his  words  : — 

"  Save  for  one  thing,  it  would  not  only  be  out  of  place, 
but  hopeless  for  me  to  try  to  add  anything  to  the  remarks 
of  the  President  on  the  loss  which  we  have  sustained  by 
the  death  of  Boyd  Alexander.  Many  here  to-night  knew 
him,  and  none  could  know  him  save  to  hold  him  in  high 
esteem ;  but  when  one  has  been  alone  with  a  man  for 
long  spaces,  far  from  civilisation,  one  grows  to  know  him 
in  a  way  which  is  not  possible  under  smoother  conditions. 
It  is  only  six  years  since  Captain  Gosling,  Claud  Alex- 
ander, and  myself  started  under  the  leadership  of  Boyd 
Alexander  for  Lake  Chad.  That  all  three  were  brave 
men  goes  without  saying,  but  to  have  spent  a  year  in  the 
company  of  three  men  of  such  courage  that  danger 
seemed  either  non-existent,  or  only  to  exist  for  the  sake 
of  being  overcome — three  who,  worn  with  fatigue  and 
illness,  often  half-starved,  and  exposed  to  constant 
danger,  never  for  one  moment  wavered  in  cheerfulness 
and  the  most  selfless  thought  for  others — is  a  privilege  to 
remember  for  the  rest  of  one's  life.  I  am  grateful,  Mr. 
President,  for  this  chance  of  expressing  even  so  inade- 
quate a  tribute  to  their  memory.  It  is  almost  with  a 
feeling  of  apology  that  I  stand  before  you  to-night,  when 
men  so  far  better  have  gone  from  us." 

In  conclusion,  I  would  say  that  the  writing  of  this 
memoir  of  my  brother's  life  has  been  a  difficult  and  often 
a  very  painful  task.     It  is  so  soon  after  the  sad  events  of 


—'._.,  ,.,**«. 


1 1 


mm 


<  z 


-" 


'^^ 


MEMOIR  55 

its  close,  that  I  have  had  to  live  again,  as  it  were,  through 
the  horrors  of  that  time. 

I  am  deeply  conscious,  too,  that  disabilities  of  my 
calling  have  forced  me  to  rely  too  much  upon  the  smaller 
details  of  life  at  home  in  my  attempt  to  draw  Boyd's 
character,  while  I  have  not  treated  at  all  adequately  the 
larger  qualities  of  his  life  of  action  abroad  as  soldier  and 
explorer. 

I  wish  I  had  the  power  of  a  great  writer  to  draw  the 
portrait  of  my  brother  as  I  see  him  now.  There  he 
stands,  a  lonely  and  sorrowful  figure,  carved  in  great 
simplicity  like  a  Michael  Angelo.  Finished  are  the 
eagle  front  and  steadfast  eyes  gazing  from  deep  shadows 
to  a  far  purpose.  Finished  also  are  the  worn,  sensitive 
hands,  that  are  burnished  bright  by  the  touch  of  romance. 
But  unfinished  the  form  and  limbs  struggling  for  ex- 
pression from  the  weight  of  stone  that  imprisons  them 
with  an  eternal  tragedy.  Surely  he  is  one  of  the  most 
picturesque  figures  of  his  time ! 


/•7,> 


Kamerun   P1? 


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«?-«'.o"*-°'«-Q0-o.  00- 

iBu.ea. 


«.«.  »\.     a  o. 


MAP   OF   THE   KAMEKUN   PEAK. 


INTBODUCTION   TO   THE   DIAEY 

IT  is  now  nearly  four  years  since  my  brother  began 
the  diary  of  his  last  journey,  so  that  I  doubt  if  much 
of  the  information  that  it  contains,  except  the  startling 
notes  from  Abechir,  will  be  fresh  to  the  reader  who  is 
familiar  with  things  African. 

The  important  observations  on  his  unique  experience 
in  the  great  eruption  of  the  Cameroon  Mountain  in 
April,  1909,  were  sent  home  by  him  to  the  Royal 
Geographical  Society  at  the  time,  and  the  intensely 
interesting  and  valuable  revelations  regarding  the  situa- 
tion in  Wadai  just  before  his  death  were  in  our  hands 
in  time  to  be  of  service  to  those  responsibly  interested 
in  events  in  that  region. 

But  my  brother's  Diary  is  not  being  given  to  the  world 
on  account  of  its  intrinsic  value  as  information,  but 
because  it  must  prove  of  great  interest  to  his  many 
friends  and  admirers  as  the  record  of  his  last  work,  for 
which  he  gave  his  life,  a  sacrifice  yet  to  be  acknow- 
ledged by  his  country. 

I,  myself,  have  read  his  notes  with  an  added  regret, 
for  being  by  circumstances  familiar  with  his  methods 
I  could  realise  all  that  we  have  lost.  Never  before  had 
he  kept  a  diary  on  his  journeys,  relying  instead  upon 
an  extraordinary  memory  for  even  the  smallest  details, 
which  he  was  in  the  habit  of  recalling  by  going  over 
his  careful  route-maps.  But  for  writing  a  book  of  travel 
this  is  a  system  entailing  the  cost  of  tremendous  efforts, 
as  he  found  when  he  was  engaged  upon  his  last  work; 

57 


58  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

and  so  before  he  went  out  on  his  next  journey  I  urged 
him  to  change  his  habit  and  begin  keeping  a  diary,  not 
leaving  unrecorded  even  what  might  seem  upon  the  spot 
the  most  trivial  happenings,  for  these  would  afterwards 
serve  as  useful  sign-posts  to  the  memory. 

To  read  the  results  of  my  suggestion  is  like  looking 
at  the  studies  for  a  picture  that  the  artist  has  not 
lived  to  paint.  It  may  be  there  are  parts  that  are  over- 
laboured in  the  details  and  awaiting  the  simplifying 
sweep  of  the  brush,  while  there  are  others  in  vital 
places  left  vague  for  the  decisive  master-strokes ;  but 
all  are  drawn  with  an  eye  most  careful  for  the  truth, 
and  would  have  enriched  even  though  they  might  never 
have  shown  in  the  finished  work. 

As  we  read  on,  more  than  once  we  seem  to  catch 
the  note  of  coming  doom,  but  perhaps  this  is  only 
because  we  have  foreknowledge  of  the  end.  Apart  from 
these  few  melancholy  suggestions,  I  should  say  that  the 
prevailing  characteristic  of  the  Diary  is  its  serenity. 
When  we  try  to  picture  only  a  few  of  the  hardships 
of  such  a  journey ;  the  long  periods  of  loneliness,  the 
monotonous  food,  the  frequent  mutinies,  the  lowering 
effects  of  recurring  fever  that  induce  despair,  and  last, 
but  not  least,  the  petty  insults  of  mean-souled  officials, 
we  are  astounded  at  first,  but  then  we  come  to  realise 
that  after  all  this  is  the  secret  of  such  men  as  my 
brother;  it  is  their  serenity  of  soul  that  enables  them 
to  endure  to  the  end. 

There  is  a  characteristic  and  pathetic  note  on  the 
flyleaf  at  the  end  of  the  Diary.  It  is  dated  January  3, 
1910,  but  does  not  come  in  the  order  of  days.  It  is 
written  in  a  faint,  shaky  hand,  almost  illegible,  and 
runs:  "Am  feeling  very  bad;  it  must  be  the  results  of 
the  poisoning ;  but  never  say  die  !  "     Yet  once  over  the 


DIARY   OF  HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  59 

trouble  no  mention  of  it  is  ever  made  in  the  follow- 
ing days  !  And  this  sort  of  thing  happened  more  than 
once.  Jose  told  me  that  on  another  occasion  Boyd, 
not  long  before  he  reached  Abechir,  was  so  ill  with  a 
fever  very  like  blackwater  in  its  symptoms  that  he 
gave  himself  up  for  dying.  He  wished  to  make  some 
bequests,  but  was  too  weak  to  write,  so  Jose  wrote 
them  down  for  him  to  sign.  The  paper  was  after- 
wards lost  (or  perhaps  on  his  recovery  Boyd  may  have 
destroyed  it),  and  Jose  could  remember  only  two  of 
the  wishes  that  were  expressed :  one  was  that  his 
master's  collection  of  African  birds  should  be  given 
to  the  British  Museum,  and  the  other  that  he  himself 
should  receive  a  legacy  of  £700.  Both  these  wishes 
were  afterwards  carried  out  by  my  father. 

This  last  instance  recalls  a  similar  one  on  his  former 
expedition.  Boyd,  but  recently  recovering  from  black- 
water  fever,  was  travelling  alone,  and  at  Bautchi  suf- 
fered such  a  severe  relapse  that  he  believed  he  could 
not  survive.  Yet,  when  afterwards  he  was  writing  of 
Bautchi,  although  I  questioned  him  most  closely  as  to 
every  detail  of  his  stay  in  that  city,  the  fact  of  his 
illness  had  apparently  gone  clean  out  of  his  mind,  and 
I  should  never  have  heard  of  it  had  I  not  come  quite 
by  chance  among  some  old  papers  of  his  years  after- 
wards upon  a  will  (or  what  he  described  therein  as  his 
last  wishes,  as  there  was  no  witness  present),  stating 
his  belief  that  he  was  dying,  and  making,  among  other 
bequests,  the  same  one  of  his  African  collection,  and 
also  the  one  relating  to  Jose,  but  the  latter  was,  of 
course,  proportionate  to  Jose's  shorter  service  at  that 
time. 

If  we  must  regard  the  Diary  as  a  fragment  compared 
with   his   former  work,  still   I  think   it  is  certain  that 


60  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

no  book  ever  came  to  the  light  under  more  tragic  or 
more  romantic  circumstances.  When  all  else  of  value 
that  he  possessed  had  been  looted  by  his  murderers, 
the  two  volumes  of  his  Diary,  as  has  been  told  before, 
were  found  untouched  in  a  broken  box  upon  the  battle- 
field of  Ilarne  by  the  French,  who,  led  by  the  warning, 
pressed  forward  and  recovered  his  bones.  Nearly  a 
year  afterwards  the  Diary  was  handed  over  by  the 
French  to  Miss  MacLeod,  who,  with  her  two  brave 
comrades,  made  the  long  and  perilous  journey  from 
England  to  Fort  Lamy  for  the  express  purpose  of 
learning  all  that  could  be  told  of  the  circumstances  of 
my  brother's  death.  But  before  sending  the  precious 
books  home  to  us,  in  case  any  mishap  should  befall 
them  on  the  way,  Miss  MacLeod  and  Mrs.  Talbot 
made  a  copy  of  them — a  task  that  must  have  been 
doubly  laborious  under  the  trying  conditions  of  African 
travel.  Alas !  the  route-maps,  which  Boyd  tells  us  in 
the  Diary  he  made  the  whole  way  from  Maifoni  to  Fort 
Lamy,  and  thence  to  Abechir,  have  never  come  back. 
And  of  the  photographs,  although  scores  of  good  nega- 
tives reached  us  in  safety,  comparatively  few  are  of 
any  value,  as  there  is  nothing  by  which  to  tell  the  sub- 
jects that  they  represent.  However,  for  the  miraculous 
rescue  of  the  Diary,  which  has  come  back  to  us  like 
a  voice  from  the  dead,  we  can  never  cease  to  be  thank- 
ful ;  for  without  it  we  should  know  very  little  indeed  of 
that  year  and  a  half  of  patient  struggle,  and  it  would 
have  seemed  as  if  for  the  last  year  he  had  gone  out 
into  the  dark,  only  to  appear  to  us  again  for  one  awful 
instant  in  the  red  gleam  of  a  violent  death. 

H.  A. 

The  Ark,  Studland. 
August  8,  1912. 


BOYD    ALEXANDER'S    DIARY 


THE    SAN    THOME— CAMEEOON   EXPEDITION, 
1908-1909 

December  12,  1908.— Left  Liverpool  in  E.M.S.  Akabo. 
Commander,  Captain  Koberts.  Had  telegrams  of  good 
wishes  from  Father,  Marion,  Englishes,  Sir  Alfred  Jones, 
Robert  Cheeseman,  and  a  letter  from  0.  M.  This  I  was 
very  glad  to  get. 

December  18. — Arrived  at  Las  Palmas  after  a  not  too 
smooth  passage,  but  all  this  is  forgotten  under  a  warm 
sun  and  in  calm  waters. 

December  23. — Sierra  Leone,  distance  from  Las  Palmas 
1,220  miles,  the  first  point  on  the  African  coast.  I  always 
experience  a  feeling  of  pleasure  at  seeing  the  black  face 
once  more.     I  feel  as  if  I  had  never  left  the  country. 

December  27. — Axim,  distance  from  Sierra  Leone  807 
miles. 

Same  day. — Sekondi,  distance  from  Axim  46  miles. 

Jose  *  came  on  board  with  twenty  carriers,  Hausas  and 
Mendi.  They  seem  a  useful  lot.  He  had  also  with  him 
a  cook  and  two  boys. 

*  Jose  Lopez,  from  San  Nicolas,  one  of  the  Cape  Verde  islands. 
He  had  served  Boyd  throughout  all  his  expeditions,  extending  over 
a  period  of  thirteen  years. — Ed. 

63 


64  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

Jose  had  left  Liverpool  by  R.M.S.  Fallaba  on  December 
5th,  with  the  object  of  collecting  these  men  at  Cape  Coast, 
but  fortunately  the  Governor,  Sir  John  Rodger,  came  on 
board  at  Axim,  and  after  receiving  the  letter  from  me 
which  Jose  held,  he  advised  Sekondi  as  the  best  place  for 
collecting  the  carriers,  and  he  gave  the  necessary  orders. 

Cape  Coast  is  no  longer  what  it  used  to  be,  the  railway 
at  Sekondi  having  taken  away  all  its  trade. 

December  27. — Cape  Coast,  distance  from  Sekondi  27 
miles.  A  letter  from  the  District  Commissioner  asking 
me  to  dine  with  him.  The  Government  officials  have 
been  very  obliging  and  kind  to  me,  and  I  thoroughly 
appreciate  it. 

December  28. — Accra,  distance  from  Cape  Coast  68 
miles.  Went  ashore  and  had  breakfast  with  Sir  John 
Rodger  at  Christianborg.  It  was  on  just  such  another 
occasion  in  March,  1904,  I  was  there  with  Gosling ;  it 
awakened  sad  memories.  Pickles*  was  not  with  me  then, 
as  he  had  some  shopping  to  do  in  the  town. 

December  29. — Lagos,  220  miles. 

December  30. — Forcados,  120  miles.  General  Morland, 
who  came  on  board  at  Accra,  left  the  boat  here.  Captain 
West,  a  fellow-passenger  from  Liverpool,  left  with  him. 
I  gave  him  a  box  containing  cement,  &c,  for  the  repair  of 
the  cross  t  at  Maifoni,  and  if  all  goes  well  I  mean  to  visit 
the  place  on  my  return  journey.  The  fore-deck  is  now 
crowded  with  native  passengers,  the  quiet  Hausa,  sitting 
on  his  mat  waiting  patiently  for  the  hour  of  prayer, 
jostling  with  the  Kroo  boy,  Yoruba,   and   many   other 

*  Nickname  at  home  for  my  brother  Claud. — Ed. 
\  The   stone   cross,  carved  by  Alexander  Fisher,  that  marks  the 
grave  of  Claud,  who  died  at  Maifoni 'November  13,  1904. — Ed. 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  65 

nondescripts.  As  soon  as  daylight  comes  the  gaffering 
outside  my  cabin  is  prodigious,  and  this  discomfort  is 
increased  by  the  crowing  of  innumerable  fowls,  huddled  in 
larger  wicker  pens  or  baskets,  and  belonging  to  different 
traders  who  carry  them  between  this  place  and  Bonny. 

December  31. — Arrived  Bonny,  distance  80  miles.  A 
small  station  on  a  low-lying  strip  of  land  on  the  Bonny 
River  with  an  unhealthy-looking  lagoon  behind. 

January  1,  1909. — Arrived  Calabar,  distance  45  miles 
up  the  Calabar  River  and  altogether  from  Bonny  140  miles. 
Went  ashore  in  the  evening  and  witnessed  the  New 
Year's  sports,  in  which  the  natives  of  the  various  Govern- 
ment bodies  and  firms  took  part :  hundred  yards  race, 
obstacle  race,  high  jump,  bicycle  race,  &c. ;  altogether  a 
good  show.  There  were  some  wonderfully  well-developed 
natives,  especially  amongst  the  Ebors,  but  in  spite  of  this 
their  staying  powers  are  not  great  and  they  collapsed 
quickly.  I  was  introduced  to  the  Provincial  Com- 
missioner, W.  Fosberry,  who  kindly  asked  me  to  stay  at 
Government  House  while  the  steamer  was  in  Calabar. 
Last  time  I  was  here  was  in  1901,  when  it  was  the  seat 
of  Government,  now  transferred  to  Lagos.  The  place 
since  then  has  increased  and  improved  a  great  deal ;  in 
fact,  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  it  is  the  finest 
station  of  our  West  Coast  possessions,  and  for  several 
reasons.  The  buildings  are  well  placed,  and,  what  is  most 
important,  they  are  away  from  the  native  town  (Duke 
Town),  and  the  station  is  situated  on  an  eminence  150 
feet  in  height.  When  coming  up  the  river,  this  geo- 
graphical feature  comes  as  a  great  surprise,  for  the  banks 
of  the  river  are  vast  mangrove  swamps  till  this  point  on 
the  left  bank  is  reached.  The  best  situated  houses  are 
those  belonging  to  the  Hope  Waddell  Institute,  consisting 

6 


66  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

of  four  well-built  houses  overlooking  the  river.  The 
prison  is  well  worth  a  visit.  The  solitary  cells  number 
over  fifty ;  the  whole  is  a  perfect  and  well-ordered  mini- 
ature, down  to  the  execution  shed,  of  our  home  prisons. 
Prison  life  to  the  black  is  not  that  awful  experience  that 
it  is  to  the  white.  The  black,  from  time  immemorial 
used  to  domestic  slavery,  has  not  been  taught  to  think;  he 
is  a  machine,  only  used  to  manual  labour,  so  our  system 
of  prison  life  is  not  that  irksome  burden  that  it  might 
seem  to  be.  Here  is  a  story  illustrating  this  :  It  hap- 
pened at  Calabar  a  gang  of  prisoners  were  out  working, 
when  one  of  them  threw  down  his  matchet  and  made  a 
bolt.  This  was  a  signal  for  all  the  other  prisoners  to  give 
chase,  and  it  ended  in  the  runaway  being  brought  back  by 
his  fellow-prisoners.  The  native  hospital  (Dr.  Taylor, 
a  Canadian,  in  charge)  is  a  well-arranged  institution 
containing  a  fine  operating-room.  To  natives  in  Govern- 
ment employment  a  daily  charge  of  Is.  is  made,  to 
others  2s. 

The  coffee  in  the  botanical  gardens  is  still  being 
cultivated.  Beyond  the  gardens  are  rubber  plantations 
containing  five  thousand  young  plants,  the  most 
flourishing  kind  being  the  Para  plant,  and  no  doubt  the 
one  that  should  be  used  for  the  colony.  These  plants  are 
now  about  eighteen  months  old  and  have  attained  a  height 
of  fifteen  feet.  At  the  present  time  palm  oil  and  kernels 
are  the  chief  exports,  and  to  these  Calabar  owes  its  present 
prosperity.  Hitchens  of  the  Forestry  Department  tells 
me  that  only  6  per  cent  of  the  palm-trees  in  the  Pro- 
tectorate are  drawn  upon.  He  calculates  that  every  tree 
gives  a  yearly  yield  of  2  lb.  of  oil  and  6  lb.  of  kernels. 
Rubber  cannot  be  reckoned  with  as  an  export  for  some 
years  to  come.  In  Brazil,  I  am  told,  the  Para  plant  is 
not  tapped  till  it  is  twenty  years  old. 


DIARY    OF   HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  67 

January  2. — Cabled  to  London  and  County  Bank  for 
=£100. 

January  3. — Took  several  photos  of  the  town  to-day, 
but  the  Harmattan  season  makes  the  atmosphere  very 
hazy. 

January  5. — Dined  with  South  Nigerian  force  at  their 
new  barracks,  some  two  miles  from  Calabar.  Captain 
Fox  in  command  in  the  absence  of  Colonel  Trenchard, 
who  is  away  conducting  operations  to  the  north  of  Cross 
River.     Had  a  very  enjoyable  evening. 

January  6. — The  West  Africa  Bank  (manager,  Edmonds) 
received  for  me  £100.  This  I  drew.  Left  Calabar  for 
Fernando  Po  (distance  85  miles),  and  arrived  towards 
midday  of  the  5th  off  this  island,  but  the  mist  was  so 
thick  that  at  first  the  captain  was  unable  to  find  the  port. 
The  mountain  was  of  course  invisible,  reducing  the  aspect 
of  Fernando  Po  to  an  ordinary  wooded  island,  and  it  was 
only  towards  sunset  that  its  shadowy  outline  came  out. 
What  a  magnificent  little  harbour !  The  bay  almost 
makes  a  complete  semicircle,  the  right  arm  looking  seaward 
and  in  formation  giving  the  impression  of  a  steep  natural 
wall.  Just  near  its  point  a  stone  pillar  marks  the  grave  of 
Commander  Beecroft.  The  sight  of  this  place  awakened 
pleasant  memories,  carrying  my  mind  back  to  1901,  when 
I  ascended  the  Peak  and  made  a  remarkable  collection  of 
birds.  I  was  told  that  the  British  Museum  collector, 
Seimund,  did  not  do  much  on  the  island,  and  I  firmly 
believe  it  would  repay  another  visit,  especially  to  the 
south  side.  Towards  evening  I  went  ashore  and  was 
disappointed  to  find  that  the  fine  mangrove  avenue  has 
been  spoilt  by  a  number  of  trees  having  been  cut  down. 
The  Roman  Catholic  church  was  a  good  deal  nearer  com- 
pletion than  when  I  last  saw  it,  the  roof  being  finished. 


68  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

At  one  end  of  it,  near  the  coping,  its  brilliant  Padre,  Don 
Miguel,  was  to  be  seen,  an  aged  man  almost  bent  double 
in  the  work  of  erecting  this  church,  which  he  has  done 
all  by  himself  with  the  help  of  a  few  blacks.  It  has 
occupied  over  eight  years,  a  truly  marvellous  piece  of  work 
for  one  man.  The  old  Father  says  his  great  ambition  is  to 
finish  it  before  he  dies,  and  may  he  live  to  do  so ! 

January  8. — The  Spanish  Colonial  Secretary,  Diego 
Sevadra,  at  the  head  of  a  company  from  Madrid  to 
inquire  into  the  administration  of  the  island,  was  on  the 
yacht  Corisco.  I  went  to  see  him  with  Barrow,  a  trader 
bound  for  Elobey  and  well  known  to  the  Spanish 
authorities  in  these  parts.  Sevadra  seems  a  nice  man, 
and  has  offered  to  take  me  on  the  Corisco  to  Annabon, 
leaving  San  Thome  about  the  24th.  From  here  I  called 
upon  the  Governor.  His  house  was  dirty,  ramshackle, 
and  typical  of  Spanish  decay.  He  seemed  quite  amused 
at  my  wanting  to  go  to  Annabon,  and  thought  I  could  do 
all  I  wanted  there  in  an  hour.  He  promised  me  a  letter 
giving  me  facilities,  &c,  but  needless  to  say  it  never 
arrived  before  the  steamer  left.  I  should  not  think  that 
any  new  life  could  be  infused  into  the  colony  by  an  old 
man  of  that  kind.  The  depressing  effect  of  this  visit  was 
quite  counteracted  by  the  charming  cordiality  of  the 
Padres,  whom  we  next  visited,  the  head  Father  being 
Ranola  and  the  second  Albanell,  both  of  whom  I  had 
met  previously.  They  told  me  that  sleeping-sickness  was 
very  bad  on  the  island,  and  that  there  is  great  infant 
mortality.  Ranola  at  once  gave  me  a  letter  to  the  Mission 
station  at  Annabon.  Ranola  has  been  at  Fernando  Po 
some  twenty  odd  years.  There  are  sixty  small  Bubi  boys 
at  St.  Isabel,  another  ninety  at  their  Mission  at  Basile, 
and  many  more  at  their  other  stations.  The  present 
generation    are     being     taught    Spanish;    a    copy-book 


DIARY   OF  HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  69 

belonging  to  a  boy  of  four  years  old  was  shown  to  me. 
The  writing  was  excellent ;  the  last  lesson  was  a  geo- 
graphical one,  and  there  was  a  list  of  the  African  rivers 
written  down.  While  at  Fernando  Po,  a  Kroo  boy 
caught  close  to  the  steamer  at  Shearwater,  which  Jose 
has  skinned.  This  will  be  an  addition  to  the  island  fauna. 
I  think  it  is'  P.  griscus. 

January  8. — Left  about  three  o'clock  for  Victoria. 
Just  at  the  last  moment  a  German  arrived  with  his 
letters.  (Each  agent  comes  off  with  his  own  letters,  no 
one  ever  thinks  of  trusting  them  to  the  Spanish  Mail.) 
He  sent  his  boat  back,  and  disappeared  aft  to  the  purser 
with  his  letters,  presently  returning  to  find  the  steamer 
under  weigh.  A  big  German  with  close-cropped  hair, 
standing  on  the  ladder  and  waving  his  hands  frantically 
like  the  arms  of  a  windmill  to  the  boat,  which  was 
returning  to  the  rescue  but  was  making  little  headway, 
was  a  funny  sight. 

Arrived  at  Victoria  just  before  night,  and  was  able  to 
catch  a  glimpse  of  the  Cameroon  Peak,  which  was  an 
imposing  sight,  with  its  smaller  sister  peak  lying  to  its 
right.  At  the  entrance  of  the  harbour  are  two  small 
wooded  islands,  Ambas  and  Mondoleh,  and  almost  in  line 
with  the  former  and  nearer  the  mainland  a  chain  of 
needle-shaped  rocks,  almost  an  exact  replica  of  the 
Needles  at  home,  and  indicating  a  part  of  the  same 
upheaval.  Williams,  the  agent  for  Holt,  came  on  board, 
and  he  very  kindly  made  arrangements  for  me  to  go 
up  and  see  the  Governor  at  Buea  the  next  morning  by 
train,  and  the  captain  said  he  would  wait  for  me. 

January  9. — Left  by  train  at  six  o'clock,  and  after  three 
and  half  hours'  journey  arrived  at  Soppo,  the  terminus, 
forty  minutes'  walk  from  Buea.     This  railway  is  quite  a 


70  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

good  piece  of  construction ;  it  is  small  and  light  and 
travels  at  a  rate  of  eight  miles  an  hour,  ascending  the 
whole  time  the  slopes  of  the  big  mountain,  which  are 
cultivated  right  up  to  Buea  with  cocoa  and  coffee 
plantations. 

Though  a  telephone  message  had  been  sent  to  the 
Governor  that  I  was  coming  to  see  him,  I  found  myself 
walking  up  from  Soppo  to  Buea,  and  after  a  hot  walk 
arrived  at  his  palatial  house.  I  sent  my  card  in,  and  was 
kept  waiting  outside  in  the  hot  sun  for  some  ten 
minutes.  Then  I  was  beckoned  in  by  a  black  soldier 
and  met  the  Governor  coming  down  the  stairs.  We 
shook  hands,  and  he  took  me  into  one  of  his  rooms.  I 
explained  my  reason  for  coming,  and,  although  he  had 
been  informed  of  it  by  his  Government,  he  seemed  to 
know  nothing  about  it.  At  my  request  to  be  allowed  to 
go  into  the  Manenguba  Eange,  and  then  possibly  on 
to  Yola,  he  said  he  thought  there  would  be  no  objection. 
His  manner  gave  me  the  impression  of  a  man  wishing  to 
be  civil  and  that's  all.  I  asked  him  how  long  it  would 
take  to  walk  back  to  Victoria,  and  he  replied,  "  About  four 
hours,"  and  so  I  went  away  still  sweating  and  thirsty. 

Before  leaving  he  advised  me  to  see  his  secretary, 
Hansen,  who  would  be  acting  in  his  place  on  his  leaving 
for  Europe  on  the  9th  of  February.  I  saw  him,  and  he 
knew  all  about  my  case,  and  I  told  him  I  should  return 
in  May.  I  managed  to  catch  a  train  taking  down  palm 
kernels,  and  so  saved  my  four  hours'  walk.  I  arrived  at 
Victoria  about  three  o'clock  and  was  told  it  was  the 
quickest  journey  on  record  to  Buea. 

Buea  is  a  fine  station,  full  of  well-built  houses ;  the 
Governor's  house,  which  is  quite  a  palace,  is  said  to  have 
cost  a  fabulous  sum,  £35,000 ;  this  is  German  colonising 
all  over.     Before  leaving  Victoria  I  bought  ten  pieces  of 


DIARY   OF  HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  71 

fine  calico,  4s,  6d.  each,  to  make  mosquito  nets  for  the 
men,  as  the  Padre  at  Fernando  Po  told  me  that  the 
mosquitoes  were  very  bad  in  Annabon. 

January  11. — Left  for  Rio  del  Rey  on  the  9th,  but  the 
Harmattan  mist  was  so  bad  the  next  morning,  that  the 
captain  was  unable  to  find  the  buoy  at  the  entrance 
of  the  river;  the  horizon  was  quite  blotted  out  by  the 
mist.  So  we  remained  at  anchor  till  to-day,  when 
the  Harmattan  cleared  somewhat,  and  we  arrived  at 
the  station  towards  noon.  The  station  consists  of  two 
factories,  German  and  English,  the  latter  on  the  left  bank ; 
both  have  been  built  on  the  river's  mud.  What  little 
firm  ground  there  is  has  been  made  artificially  with 
cinders  from  the  steamers.  The  river  presents  much  the 
same  aspect  as  the  Calabar  and  others  on  the  coast,  the 
banks  showing  nothing  but  the  eternal  green  of  man- 
groves. The  bark  of  the  mangrove  was  shipped  at  one 
time  for  tanning,  but  this  is  no  longer  done ;  the  wood 
is  extremely  hard,  even  turning  the  blade  of  a  knife. 

January  12. — Arrived  at  Duala,  twenty  miles  from  the 
mouth  of  the  river,  about  9  a.m.  Near  its  mouth  the 
river  is  a  vast  sheet  of  water,  four  miles  in  width,  with 
many  estuaries.  Duala  is  a  large  town,  and  the  Govern- 
ment buildings  have  been  erected  regardless  of  expense. 
Some  fifty  kilometres  of  railway,  eventually — I  believe — 
to  reach  to  the  Chad  region  by  the  Manenguba  range, 
have  been  completed  a  little  higher  up  the  river  on  the 
right  bank.  The  firm  of  Messrs.  King  has  been 
established  here  120  years.  It  must  be  one  of  the 
oldest  trading  stations  on  the  Coast.  At  one  time 
the  merchants  used  to  live  in  hulks  on  the  river, 
and  the  old  transport  ship,  the  Lord  Raglan,  which  had 
carried  so  many  troops  out  to  the  Crimea,  was  used  in 


72  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

this  capacity.     The  health  is  not  very  good ;  there  have 
been  several  cases  of  blackwater  lately. 

The  chief  imports  are  salt  and  rum  ;  as  many  as  a 
thousand  twenty-gallon  casks  have  been  landed  by  the 
steamer.  This  is  the  chief  thing  paid  to  the  natives  for 
palm  oil,  six  litres  being  given  for  twelve  gallons  of  oil. 
I  am  told  that  this  place  is  groaning  under  the  taxation  of 
the  Government.  One  shilling  per  kilo  on  ivory,  five 
thousand  marks,  or  £250,  to  kill  elephants  for  ivory,  and 
a  hundred  marks  to  shoot  an  elephant,  while  the  limit  is 
three  elephants  (£25). 

January  14. — Arrived  Plantation,  a  small  German 
station.  The  seaboard  now  is  thickly  wooded,  the 
monotonous  dark  green  of  the  foliage  is  seldom  relieved, 
except  perhaps  here  and  there  by  patches  of  elephant 
grass  that  look  paler  green  against  the  predominant 
shade. 

During  the  last  day  or  two  the  evenings  have  been 
delightfully  cool  with  strong  breezes  from  the  south-west. 
A  great  trade  is  done  here  in  salt ;  we  landed  here  two 
thousand  bags. 

January  15. — Kribi.  A  well  laid-out  station  and  a 
prosperous  one.  The  country  is  again  thickly  wooded, 
and  marked  by  broken  hills — cone-shaped,  and  saddle- 
backed  and  wooded  to  their  summits.  A  lofty  hill,  lying 
about  nine  miles  east  of  the  station,  and  some  1,700 
feet  in  height,  makes  a  conspicuous  object  in  the 
landscape.  There  are  others,  still  higher  than  this  one, 
lying  to  the  south,  the  chief  being  Mount  Alouette, 
which  is  nearly  4,000  feet  in  altitude.  Objects  of 
interest  to  note  here  are  the  native  fishermen,  recalling 
at  once  to  my  mind  the  method  of  fishing  on  the  Kiver 
Shari,  that  of  sitting  straddled-legged  across  a  faggot  of 


DIARY   OF  HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  73 

ambatch.*  But  in  place  of  this  the  Batanga  fishermen 
use  very  light  canoes,  about  eight  feet  in  length  and  very 
narrow,  there  being  just  room  for  one  man  to  sit  in. 
They  fish  with  hook  and  line,  sitting  the  while  with  their 
legs  in  the  water.  The  secret  in  handling  their  little 
cockleshells  of  boats  is  their  method  of  balance,  and 
they  do  not  fear  to  go  several  miles  out  to  sea. 

I  went  ashore  about  ten  o'clock  and  left  to  photograph 
some  remarkable  falls  made  by  the  Lobi  River,  about  five 
miles  distant,  and  on  the  way  to  Batanga.  The  water 
falls  abruptly  into  a  small  bay  of  the  sea  from  the  height 
of  some  fifty  feet.  It  is  a  fine  sight.  The  volume  of 
water  must  be  very  considerable  in  the  rainy  season. 

The  German  authorities  have  just  formed  an  ordinance 
which  comes  into  force  in  December,  levying  a  tax  of  six 
marks  on  every  workable  native,  or  in  lieu  thereof  one 
month's  labour. 

In  these  parts  rubber  and  ivory  are  the  principal  ex- 
ports. A  great  deal  of  the  old  rubber  has  been  destroyed 
by  the  natives  cutting  the  vine. 

Here  I  heard  of  Bates,  who  has  in  the  past  made  some 
good  collections  of  birds  for  the  Natural  History  Museum. 
He  is  now  on  the  Ja  River,  and  is  married  to  a  black 
woman.  He  has  been  a  number  of  years  in  Africa,  and 
was  at  one  time  a  missionary. 

Last  night  a  little  Stormy  Petrel  flew  into  the  saloon 
while  we  were  playing  cards ;  this  makes  about  the  fifth 
to  do  so  on  this  voyage.     I  always  give  these  little  way- 

*  Vol.  i.,  page  11. —  Ambatch,  or  Maria  Bush,  a  slender  tree  with 
small  leaves  of  a  very  dark  green.  It  attains  a  height  of  thirty  feet. 
The  substance  of  the  wood  is  pith-like  and  far  lighter  than  cork. 
The  Buduma  of  Lake  Chad  use  it  for  their  nets,  and  also  as  floats  ; 
beams  six  to  eight  feet  long  with  the  end  curved  like  a  prow,  upon 
which  they  swim  with  a  double  over-arm  stroke,  attaining  a  pace  of 
eight  miles  an  hour. — Ed. 


74  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

farers  a  lodging  in  my  cabin  for  the  night  and  then 
release  them  in  the  morning.  It  is  useless  to  free  them 
at  night,  as  the  glare  of  the  lights  only  brings  them  back 
to  the  ship  again.  They  are  charming  birds,  and  the 
amount  of  confidence  they  show  in  one  is  remarkable, 
nestling  in  one's  hand  as  if  they  had  known  one  all  their 
lives. 

January  16. — "We  made  Batanga  in  the  same  day  as 
Kribi,  from  which  it  is  only  distant  about  eight  miles. 
Batanga  is  a  small  place,  much  enclosed,  and  with  two 
factories,  German  and  English.  At  Kribi  there  is  quite  a 
large  Hausa  colony,  the  Hausas  coming  down  here  many 
miles  from  the  interior  with  rubber  and  ivory. 

Arrived  at  Bata  (Spanish),  a  wretched-looking  place, 
and  not  less  typical  was  the  official  boarding  boat,  a  dirty- 
looking  surf  craft,  manned  by  three  still  dirtier-looking 
natives,  a  startling  contrast  to  the  German  and  our 
method,  when  it  is  quite  a  pleasure  to  see,  as  soon  as  the 
anchor  is  let  drop,  a  smart  gig  manned  by  natives  in 
sailor  costume  come  off  from  the  port. 

Bata  is  quite  a  small  place,  containing  German  and 
English  stores.  They  bitterly  complain  of  the  Spanish 
Government ;  nothing  is  done  to  protect  their  interests  ; 
the  interior  is  practically  closed,  and  the  Government  will 
give  no  guarantee  for  the  traders'  safety.  The  interior  is 
inhabited  by  the  large  Fan  tribe.  Some  hilly  country 
lies  directly  to  the  north  of  Bata. 

January  17. —  Went  ashore  and  called  upon  the 
Governor.  He  was  gracious  and  treated  us  to  beer  and 
then  came  down  to  the  shore  to  wish  us  goodbye. 

Bought  some  40  lb.  of  dried  fish,  the  principal  sub- 
sistence given  to  the  natives  here.  Messrs.  Hatton  and 
Cookson's  are  the  principal  English  stores. 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST   JOURNEY  75 

Towards  four  o'clock  we  reached  a  small  port,  con- 
sisting of  nothing  more  than  a  store  of  Messrs.  Hatton 
and  Cookson's.  From  here  we  made  a  direct  course  to 
San  Thom6,  a  distance  of  some  180  miles. 

About  11.30  January  18. — Ilha  das  Cubras  came  into 
sight.  The  Peak  of  San  Thome  was  not  visible,  but  the 
whole  island  has  a  mountainous  appearance,  and  is  well 
wooded.  Here  and  there  on  the  higher  slopes  white 
buildings  of  cocoa  farms  arrest  the  eye.  The  town,  which 
lines  a  semicircular  bay,  presents  quite  a  pleasing  aspect, 
the  houses,  of  either  wood  or  stone  and  roofed  with  red 
tiles,  and  some  of  the  wooden  ones  painted  white  or  a 
pale  yellow,  give  a  picturesque  look  to  the  town,  which  is 
not  to  be  met  with  on  the  Coast.  For  with  the  exception 
of  Axim  and  Cape  Coast,  which  possess  fine  old  Dutch 
castles,  all  the  towns  of  the  Coast  have  a  remarkable 
sameness,  with  their  rows  and  clusters  of  corrugated  iron 
buildings  and  bungalows. 

Elder,  Dempster's  agent,  a  Mr.  Pilkington,  came  on 
board,  and  about  3  p.m.  we  both  went  ashore  and  he  took 
me  to  see  the  Governor,  who  said  he  had  already  had 
intimation  of  my  coming.  My  chief  anxiety  was  to  get 
my  things  passed  through  the  Customs,  and  a  letter 
authorising  me  to  travel  over  the  island,  for  much  of  the 
land  is  privately  owned  by  cocoa  planters.  This  was 
promised,  but  not  without  a  great  deal  of  talking,  lasting 
quite  half  an  hour.  All  might  have  been  done  in  five 
minutes,  but  then  I  was  dealing  with  Portuguese.  Cer- 
tainly they  seem  to  have  more  "go"  in  them  than  the 
Spanish,  whose  dilatory  methods  are  too  irritating  for 
words. 

My  next  anxiety  was  to  find  a  lodging  for  the  night, 
and  I  did  not  much  appreciate  the  dirty-looking  hotel.  I 
then  rushed  off  at  once  to  see  Mr.  Durrant,  the  head  of  the 


76  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

Telegraph  Station,  which  is  situated  some  ten  minutes' 
walk  from  the  town.  In  him  I  found  a  good  Samaritan ;  he 
offered  to  put  me  up,  and  find  a  place  to  store  my  goods  in. 
This  gave  me  much  satisfaction,  as  I  had  visions  of  having 
to  store  my  things  (and  this  was  the  Governor's  suggestion) 
in  the  Customs.  The  latter  arrangement  would  have  led 
to  endless  bother,  whenever  I  should  want  to  take  any- 
thing out.  With  the  help  of  the  carriers  and  a  cart  and 
mule  we  managed  to  move  everything  up  to  the  Telegraph 
Station  before  dark.  The  traffic  in  the  town  is  by  mules ; 
they  look  useful  animals,  and  the  carts  are  strong  and 
serviceable.  Everything  in  the  town  in  the  way  of  pro- 
visions is  quite  ruinous — 5s.  for  a  1  lb.  tin  of  meat,  an  egg 
2d.,  bottle  of  whisky  10s.,  gin  6s. — so  I  have  distinctly 
scored  in  bringing  my  own  provisions,  and  these  passed 
free  of  duty. 

January  19. — Stayed  at  the  port  to  get  things  ready  for 
a  journey  to  the  Peak.  The  Governor  promised  to  let  me 
have  the  letter  by  5  p.m.  yesterday,  but,  needless  to  say, 
it  never  arrived,  and  to-day  the  whole  morning  and  after- 
noon passed  without  it ;  but  Pilkington  managed  to 
wring  the  letter  from  his  secretary  towards  evening. 

January  20. — Left  for  Monte  Cafe,  a  large  roca,  about 
1,900  feet  up,  on  the  way  to  San  Thome  Peak.  There  is  a 
very  good  road  all  the  way  up,  about  nine  feet  wide,  but  on 
a  steep  incline.  A  little  more  than  halfway  is  the  village 
of  Trinidade  ;  another  two  hours  from  here  brought  us  to 
Monte  Cafe,  a  large  roga,  the  houses  and  sheds  being 
placed  in  the  form  of  a  quadrangle.  Considering  the 
hilly  nature  of  the  road,  and  that  it  was  their  first  day's 
work,  the  Hausas  did  wonderfully  well ;  but,  with  the 
exception  of  one  or  two  of  the  Mendies,  the  remainder 
straggled  badly.     Taking  him  all  round,  there  is  nothing 


^TA 


<      4 


/fjL 


«r?^ 


The  Mountain,  San  Thome. 


• 

4          il 

.   /r      'A 

The  [nterior  <<\   San  Thome. 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  77 

like  the  Hausa ;  be  has  a  strong  sense  of  duty,  and 
makes  the  best  of  everything.  They  all  feed  together 
as  if  they  had  been  friends  all  their  lives.  I  arrived 
about  twelve  o'clock  and  found  the  acting  manager,  the 
manager,  a  Mr.  Lucas,  having  gone  to  the  Port.  The 
former  gave  me  luncheon,  and  Jose  as  well,  and  also  fed 
the  men. 

About  three  o'clock  the  manager  turned  up  and  evi- 
dently looked  upon  me  as  another  English  spy.  He  said  that 
he  had  no  authority  to  allow  me  to  stay  here  as  the  place 
was  private  property  and  belonged  to  a  lady  in  Lisbon.  I 
was  somewhat  taken  aback  at  this,  in  the  face  of  having 
shown  him  the  Governor's  letter.  I  at  once  gave  orders 
to  collect  our  things  and  we  went  off  into  the  bush  and 
camped.  Upon  this  he  changed  his  attitude,  and  begged 
me  to  stop,  but  I  preferred  to  be  independent.  This  was 
an  occasion  which  showed  how  useful  it  is  to  have  one's 
own  carriers. 

This  roca  is  a  very  large  one,  something  like  nine 
hundred  Angolas  being  employed  on  it.  There  is  also  a 
light  railway  in  connection  with  the  other  plantations. 
While  waiting  for  Jose  at  the  roca,  a  large  troupe  of 
young  children  passed,  presumably  belonging  to  the 
labourers.  I  suppose  these,  in  their  turn,  will  become 
slaves.  There  is  not  a  doubt  that  these  Angolas  never 
return.  The  farms  are  in  such  out-of-the-way  spots, 
either  perched  on  high  hills  or  tucked  away  in  some  steep 
valley,  that  there  is  for  them  little  chance  of  escape,  and 
outrages  could  be  perpetrated  that  would  never  come  to 
light.  It  is  perpetual  slavery  ;  every  day  is  the  same  from 
5.30  in  the  morning  to  six  o'clock  in  the  evening,  with  a 
short  break  at  midday.  And  this  is  not  all,  for  when  the 
day's  work  is  done,  they  have  to  go  out  to  cut  grass,  and 
are  to  be  seen  toiling  into  the  farms  in  the  dusk  with 


78  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

large  bundles  upon  their  backs.  I  got  a  good  deal  of 
information  from  an  Angola  born  in  the  island ;  he  was 
in  charge  of  a  farm  close  to  Lake  Amelia,  where  we 
camped.  His  father  had  been  brought  from  Angola  by 
force.  He  said  :  "  I  shall  live  and  die  here,  like  all  my 
fellow-countrymen."  The  wages  seem  ridiculously  small, 
6s.  a  month  for  a  man,  and  4s.  for  a  woman.  Many 
young  children  are  brought  from  Angola,  and  these  are  in 
their  turn  brought  up  to  the  slavery.  The  price  given  by 
the  planters  here  for  an  adult  slave  varies  from  £30  to 
£40.  This  Angola  told  me  that  many  of  the  labourers 
had  fled  the  farms  and  were  living  in  the  forest,  and  were 
looting  the  bananas,  &c,  for  food.  Each  gang  is  in 
charge  of  a  Portuguese,  whose  annual  salary  varies  from 
£60  to  £80.  Six  hundred  to  eight  hundred  slaves  often 
arrive  here  at  one  time  by  the  Portuguese  steamers. 

Above  Monte  Cafe  the  ground  still  rises  to  some 
500  feet,  forming  the  crest  line  which  is  seen  from  the 
port,  and  only  at  times  is  the  top  of  the  Peak  of  San 
Thome  just  visible. 

January  21. — Our  first  day's  collecting  did  not 
produce  much,  but  I  got  a  pretty  good  idea  of  what 
was  to  be  found,  and  I  am  afraid  that  it  is  doubtful 
if  we  get  anything  new.  There  is  much  cultivation 
even  on  the  steep  slopes  of  the  hills,  and  practically 
there  is  very  little  of  the  virgin  forest  left.  It  is  a 
wonderfully  rich  island.  The  soil  is  of  a  brownish 
red  and  is  capable  of  producing  anything.  The  whole 
way  up  from  the  Port  to  Monte  Cafe  are  great  cocoa 
plantations,  while  clumps  of  banana-trees,  scattered 
palms,  and  tall  forest  trees  give  a  wealth  of  verdure 
to  the  scenery.  Near  the  coast  the  palm  almost  be- 
comes the  predominant  growth.  The  oil  is  not  ex- 
ported, as  a  large   amount   is   consumed  on    the  rocas, 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST   JOURNEY  79 

and  this  is  even  supplemented  by  a  certain  imported 
quantity. 

Towards  three  o'clock  the  sky  becomes  overcast  from 
the  north,  and  occasional  showers  fall. 

The  manager  of  Monte  Cafe  has  now  quite  mended 
his  ways,  and  we  have  shaken  hands.  He  has  pro- 
mised two  mules  for  to-morrow,  when  we  move  our 
camp  still  higher  up,  to  Lake  Amelia,  where  there  is 
a  good  deal  of  virgin  forest. 

While  out  to-day,  I  found  a  small  puppy  dog  in  the 
bush.  I  took  compassion  on  him  and  brought  him 
into  camp.  He  is  a  sturdy-looking  little  beggar,  and 
I  shall  call  him  San  Thome.  This  island  is  overrun 
with  dogs  of  nearly  every  colour  and  description ;  it 
should  be  called  the  Isle  of  Dogs. 

January  22. — Made  an  early  start  about  7  a.m.  and 
arrived  at  a  collection  of  huts  near  Lake  Amelia  about 
9.30.  It  is  a  steep  "pull-up"  to  this  point,  and 
almost  an  hour  from  Monte  Caf6  we  entered  thick 
forest  with  long-leaved  plants  forming  part  of  the 
undergrowth.  And  there  are  gigantic  cotton-trees, 
most  of  which  present  a  weird  appearance,  for  the 
cold,  damp  atmosphere  has  hung  their  branches  with 
lank  lichen  growth  that  streams  in  the  breeze  like 
tresses  of  hair. 

Lake  Amelia  is  nearly  5,000  feet  in  altitude.  It  is 
about  two  hundred  yards  in  circumference  and  has 
the  appearance  of  having  been  a  crater.  Its  forma- 
tion is  a  deep  bed,  and  the  sides  are  clothed  with  thin- 
stemmed  trees  rising  in  tiers.  There  is  no  water 
now,  but  only  thick  bog.  At  this  altitude  large  clumps 
of  bamboo  are  to  be  found ;  the  coffee-tree  does  not 
seem  to  flourish,  while  the  picturesque  quinine-tree  is 
in  evidence. 


80  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

January  23-26. — Stayed  and  collected  morning  and 
evening,  Jose  always  taking  a  different  direction 
to  mine.  The  forest  growth,  which  at  first  looked 
so  promising,  yielded  no  ground  thrushes  such  as 
Alethe,  Callene,  and  Turdinus,  and  the  localities  were 
particularly  silent,  and  we  obtained  nothing  more 
than  what  is  in  Salvadore's  list.  There  seemed  to  be 
quite  an  absence  of  insect  life  and  hardly  an  ant  was 
to  be  seen. 

On  more  than  one  occasion  I  got  to  within  500  feet 
of  the  Peak,  that  is  to  say,  on  a  level  with  the  eye 
from  neighbouring  ridges,  and  I  have  my  doubts 
whether  it  will  be  worth  while  to  ascend  it.  The 
hill  is  not  extensive  enough  and  not  high  enough  for 
the  growth  to  alter.  It  is  covered  right  up  to  its 
summit  with  the  same  forest  trees  that  are  to  be  found 
on  the  neighbouring  hills,  and  one  can  hardly  expect 
the  fauna  to  be  different,  as  it  was  in  the  case  of  the 
Fernando  Po  Peak. 

It  is  a  difficult  country  to  work ;  the  valleys,  full  of 
thick  wood  and  tangle,  are  extraordinarily  deep,  and 
many  are  quite  impossible  to  descend  into,  while  water 
in  the  dry  season  is  not  plentiful.  There  has  not 
been  much  rain,  but  generally  towards  six  o'clock  a 
dense  cold  mist  from  the  south  drives  over  the  hills 
in  thick  clouds.  It  is  very  depressing,  coming  over 
in  a  moment  of  time,  enveloping  everything  and  blurring 
the  trees  to  phantoms.  Very  often  at  sunset  there 
are  some  fine  colour  effects,  and  on  the  25th  there 
was  a  particularly  impressive  one.  Looking  southward 
from  my  camp,  a  lofty  ridge  of  wooded  hills,  jagged 
in  outline,  stood  out  in  clear  contrast  to  a  thick  layer 
of  cumulus  clouds  directly  behind,  that  had  shaped 
themselves   into  the   form   of   rugged   hills    and  peaks, 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST   JOURNEY  81 

looking  for  all  the  world  like  snow-capped  mountains 
against  the  wooded  chain  in  the  foreground,  and  this 
was  further  brought  out  into  contrast  by  a  dark  leaden 
sky  above. 

Many  of  the  smaller  hills  are  cultivated,  even  the 
lower  slopes  in  places  of  the  Peak  itself,  giving  the 
impression  that  every  available  bit  of  ground  in  this 
rich  island  is  seized  upon  and  made  the  most  of. 

The  interior  of  the  island  has  a  peculiar  geographical 
aspect ;  one  looks  down  into  a  large  and  deep 
crater  which  practically  forms  the  very  centre  of  the 
island.  Here  the  wealth  of  the  island  becomes 
apparent,  for  it  has  a  very  fertile  aspect,  with  the 
foliage  of  the  cocoa  plantations,  the  coffee-trees,  and 
the  big  clumps  of  bananas. 

Jose  is  working  very  well  and  his  skins  have  good 
form.  And  we  have  been  lucky  in  the  weather ;  bright, 
sunny  mornings  as  a  rule. 

January  6. — Left  for  the  Port  so  as  to  be  in 
plenty  of  time  for  the  Corisco.  To  my  surprise  I 
found  that  she  had  already  been  in,  and  had  come 
from  Annabon,  and  it  was  quite  by  accident  that  I 
met  Sevrada  in  the  town,  who  coolly  informed  me  that 
it  was  impossible  for  the  Corisco  to  take  me  to  Annabon, 
and  this  after  his  promise  to  me  at  Fernando  Po  !  I 
found  that  talking  was  no  good,  and  I  extracted  from 
him  another  promise,  and  this  was  that  I  could  go 
by  the  mail-boat  leaving  on  the  23rd  of  next  month, 
and  a  letter  from  him  as  woll  giving  me  facilities  at 
Annabon. 

The  weather  here  is  still  fine,  in  spite  of  its  being 
the  rainy  season.  A  pleasant  breeze  always  gets  up 
from  the  south-east  about  ten  o'clock  and  blows  till 
about  four  o'clock. 

7 


82  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

Our  collection  from  the  hills  numbers  fifty  specimens 
in  all. 

February  4. — Jose  left  with  the  carriers  for  Zulma, 
a  place  about  one  and  a  half  hours'  walk  south  from 
here,  where  he  is  going  to  collect.  In  that  neighbour- 
hood the  ground  is  chiefly  owned  by  the  San  Thome 
natives.  They  are  a  poor  people ;  all  the  good  land 
has  been  taken  from  them,  and  they  now  only  possess 
small  plots  of  maize  near  the  coast ;  their  hovels  are 
wretched,  and  their  stock  generally  consists  of  a  few 
fowls  and  a  pig  or  two. 

Religion  with  them  is  rather  a  superstition  than  a 
faith.  Outside  each  hut  a  cross  is  set  up,  and  these 
are  often  hung  with  offerings,  a  relic  of  former  teachings 
that  bade  them  offer  up  a  prayer  before  the  cross 
every  morning  on  leaving  their  huts  for  the  day's  work. 

Many  of  them  are  fishermen.  It  is  a  curious  sight 
to  see  at  night  a  fleet  of  canoes  engaged  in  fishing. 
They  advance  in  a  long  line,  each  boat  carrying  a 
flaring  torch  in  the  bow,  the  whole  giving  the  appear- 
ence  of  a  jetty  lit  up.  The  fire  attracts  the  fish,  which 
is  then  speared.  The  spearhead  is  fork-shaped  with 
many  prongs.  The  torch  is  about  six  feet  long,  and 
consists  of  dried  palm  leaves  tied  in  a  bundle. 

Jose  has  a  good  camp,  and  I  go  out  every  day  to  see 
him,  and  shoot  on  the  way. 

February  11. — Jose  down  with  dysentery  symptoms. 
He  is  not  careful  enough  about  his  water. 

Have  arranged  with  Pressler,  a  German  trader  here, 
to  take  me  in  his  small  steamer  to  Annabon  for  £45. 
We  are  to  start  on  the  12th. 

Have  received  no  answer  to  my  telegram  to  Sir 
Africa  Jones  sent  on  January  28th,  asking  him  if  the 


DIARY  OF  HIS  LAST  JOURNEY  83 

Batanga  could  land  me  at  Annabon.  She  was  due  here 
on  the  5th,  but  up  till  now  has  not  turned  up.  I  paid 
a  reply,  and  it  seems  curious  I  should  not  have  had 
an  answer  one  way  or  the  other.  But  I  must  not 
judge  as  yet ;  something  may  have  happened  that  I 
do  not  know  of. 

February  12. — Jose  arrived  in  from  his  camp,  but  is 
feeling  off  colour.  During  my  stay  at  the  Port  I 
made  my  camp  in  front  of  the  Telegraph  Station, 
practically  on  the  shore.  I  thought  this  was  better. 
When  one  has  a  large  camp,  it  is  best  to  isolate  it. 
Durrant,  the  chief  superintendent,  has  been  very  kind, 
always  insisting  upon  my  lunching  and  dining  with 
him.  Jose  has  something  like  forty-five  specimens, 
including  four  examples  of  the  rare  owl,  Strix  tho- 
mensis,  but  I  do  not  think  there  is  anything  new, 
unless  it  is  one  of  the  ground  pigeons  (Haplopelia). 

Just  now  there  is  a  great  deal  of  sickness  (blackwater) 
in  San  Thome.  One  of  the  prominent  citizens  died  of 
the  disease  a  few  days  ago.  It  is  now  the  worst  season 
for  health. 

The  cocoa  trade  here  must  be  enormous.  About  a 
week  ago  over  seventy  thousand  bags  were  waiting  to 
be  shipped  ;  each  bag  represents  about  120  lb.  I  should 
think  it  would  pay  Sir  Alfred  Jones  well  to  run  steamers 
here  under  the  Portuguese  flag. 

On  the  night  of  the  11th  we  had  a  terrific  storm  with  a 
great  wind  from  the  west.  It  lasted  a  good  hour,  during 
which  time,  even  with  the  help  of  my  two  boys,  I  had 
hard  work  to  keep  my  tent  up.  The  tent  presented  to 
me  by  Burberry  is  in  its  main  construction  and  texture 
excellent.  Its  chief  recommendation  is  its  extraordinary 
lightness,  weighing  about  50  lb.  in  all,  while  the  colour 
is  most  restful  to  the  eye.      The  material  itself  is  very 


84  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

strong,  but  there  are  two  faults — the  pegs  are  much  too 
small  (one  cannot  beat  the  old  ash  peg),  while  the  ropes 
are  not  of  stout  enough  material. 

I  hear  from  Pressler  that  there  is  a  Spanish  boat  from 
Annabon  to  Princes  on  the  19th.  If  this  is  correct,  it 
will  do  me  well,  and  if  this  fails,  there  is  still  the  regular 
mail  on  the  28th ;  but  to  speak  the  truth,  I  have  not 
much  faith  in  Spanish  arrangements. 

Left  about  12.30  in  ss.  Tonga.  The  captain,  Jorge 
Cardoso  by  name,  seems  a  nice  fellow.  I  asked  him 
to  have  supper  with  me,  but  eventually  had  to  put  bim 
off,  Jose  having  another  attack  of  dysentery  symptoms, 
while  my  boy  Bukare  and  several  others  were  prostrated 
with  sickness. 

Before  leaving  I  managed  to  get  from  the  captain  of 
the  German  boat  Togo  three  bags  of  rice.  The  price 
on  shore  for  the  same  would  have  been  ruinous. 

Induced  Jose  to  take  El  Kossam.  This  medicine 
again  had  wonderful  results.  The  next  morning  he 
was  comparatively  fit.  I  am  very  glad  I  brought  some 
with  me. 

Had  the  opportunity  of  seeing  the  whole  of  San 
Thome's  western  coast.  The  island  presents  a  moun- 
tainous and  rugged  appearance,  and  some  of  the  peaks 
are  very  remarkable  in  their  shape,  especially  the  Dog 
Peak.  It  is  like  a  gigantic  obelisk,  so  regular  in  its 
contour  that  it  is  difficult  to  realise  that  Nature  alone 
has  carved  it. 

February  13. — About  9  a.m.  the  faint  outline  of  Anna- 
bon came  into  sight,  and  we  reached  the  island  at 
eleven  o'clock.  The  captain  was  evidently  pleased  at 
having  struck  his  point  so  well.  It  was  good  work 
considering  he  only  went  by  the  compass  and  his  log. 


DIARY  OF  HIS  LAST  JOURNEY  85 

He  reckons  the  distance  to  Annabon  from  the  Peak 
(San  Thome)  to  be  130  miles.  He  allowed  eight  knots 
to  the  eastward  for  the  current.  The  rate  of  the  Tonga 
is  seven  knots  an  hour. 

Annabon  is  a  volcanic  rock  rising  abruptly  out  of  the 
sea,  and  clothed  with  scrubby  growth  towards  the  top. 

The  white  building  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Mission,  a 
little  way  above  the  beach  and  surrounded  by  palm 
growth,  is  the  first  to  catch  the  eye.  Then  close  to  the 
shore  itself,  amongst  a  picturesque  grove  of  cocoanut- 
trees,  are  rows  of  oblong  huts  containing  all  that 
Annabon  can  boast  of  in  the  way  of  inhabitants.  They 
are  all  confined  to  this  place.  In  the  interior  of  the 
island,  especially  round  the  lake,  casada  farms  and 
bananas  are  roughly  cultivated,  and  these  are  visited 
at  times.  The  inhabitants  of  the  island  number  about 
1,300  souls,  and  I  don't  think  that  I  have  ever  seen 
a  more  nondescript-looking  lot.  It  would  be  difficult 
from  a  racial  point  of  view  to  place  them.  They 
have  a  kind  disposition.  My  steamer  was  boarded  by 
many  of  them ;  each  one  singled  out  one  of  my  men  and 
said  he  must  be  his  chum  during  his  stay  on  their  island. 
Every  day,  when  I  was  at  the  Lake,  each  would  bring  up 
food  to  his  chum,  and  if  he  could  not  come  himself,  he 
would  send  a  friend.  They  have  marked  negro  features, 
with  broad  noses,  and  they  are  very  bearded.  Not  a 
few*  speak  American-English,  and  hailed  originally  from 
the  American  schooners  which  many  years  ago  used 
to  visit  this  island  for  purposes  of  whale-fishing  (before 
the  Spanish  occupation).  There  is  a  good  deal  of 
dysentery  among  the  people. 

The  rainy  season  is  from  November  to  the  beginning  of 
June. 

We  anchored  about  twelve  o'clock,  and  soon  after  a 


86  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

boat  with  a  Sous  Officier  and  a  doctor  came  on  board. 
It  took  little  time  for  the  former  to  inform  me  that  he 
was  the  "  Governor,"  and  he  was  full  of  polite  bows 
and  scrapes  when  I  presented  him  with  my  letter  from 
Sevrada.  After  the  usual  lengthened  conversation,  which 
under  any  ordinary  circumstances  could  have  been  done 
in  a  few  minutes,  it  was  arranged  that  I  and  Jose  should 
at  once  go  off  in  the  ship's  boat  (taking  with  us  all  the 
baggage  we  could)  to  pay  our  respects  to  the  Padres 
and  arrange  about  our  camp.  The  "  Governor,"  of 
course,  insisted  on  accompanying  us,  while  the  doctor 
was  to  remain  behind  and  bring  off  my  men  and  the 
rest  of  the  baggage.  We  had  scarcely  got  away  more 
than  a  hundred  yards  when,  to  my  annoyance,  I  saw 
the  doctor  rowing  pellmell  after  us,  his  boat  empty  of 
loads.  He  was  determined  not  to  be  late  for  the  fair. 
I  had  had  no  sleep  the  night  before,  and  the  knowledge 
that  a  great  deal  had  to  be  arranged  before  the  night 
filled  me  with  feelings  of  dismay,  if  not  with  anger,  that 
I  should  find  myself  in  Annabon,  one  of  the  most  out-of- 
the-way  spots  in  the  world,  still  a  slave  to  convention. 
"We  found  the  Padres,  at  this  time  three,  seated  in  their 
veranda  ready  to  receive  us.  Directly  I  got  into  their 
presence  I  felt  a  kindlier  atmosphere,  and  I  longed 
to  get  rid  of  my  two  companions.  None  of  them 
could  speak  either  English  or  French,  but  a  Sierra 
Leone  boy  who  spoke  very  good  English  came  to  the 
rescue.  The  Father  Superior,  a  charming  personality, 
with  splendid  features  and  a  flowing  reddish  beard, 
received  me  with  open  arms,  and  after  a  few  minutes' 
conversation  went  straight  to  the  subject  at  issue  and 
showed  me  a  store-room  where  I  could  keep  any  of  my 
baggage  should  I  require  it,  and  said  as  far  as  he  was 
concerned  I  could  make  my  camp  where  I  liked. 


DIARY  OF  HIS  LAST  JOURNEY  87 

I  was  then  hauled  off  by  the  "Governor"  and  doctor 
to  view  their  houses,  which  were  full  of  dry-rot  and 
creaking  boards.  The  drink  of  hospitality  was  absent, 
but  the  doctor,  in  lieu  thereof,  gave  me  with  much 
ceremony  an  effervescent  saline,  with  which  I  drank 
the  health  of  the  King  and  Queen  of  Spain. 

February  14. — Left  at  6.30  a.m.  for  the  Lake,  which 
we  took  about  three-quarters  of  an  hour  to  reach.  It 
is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  geographical  features 
I  have  seen  in  Africa.  After  an  ascent  of  some  1,300  feet 
one  is  suddenly  confronted  with  a  circular  lake,  about 
a  mile  in  circumference.  It  is  like  the  deep  crater  of  a 
volcano,  tall  forest  trees  rising  up  in  tiers  all  round  it  to 
a  height  of  some  500  feet.  The  southern  portion  is  the 
highest.  Beyond,  the  ground  begins  to  rise  again  till 
it  attains  a  height  of  some  3,000  feet,  forming  a  narrow 
watershed,  and  the  whole  way  the  ground  falls  steeply 
on  both  sides  to  the  sea.  It  is  thickly  wooded,  and 
this  fact  raised  my  hopes  of  getting  a  good  collection, 
but  after  many  fatiguing  tramps  the  birds  only  repre- 
sented the  following  species  : — 

Terpsiphone  newtoni,  Zosterops  griscovirescens,  Scops 
fece,  Turturcena  malherbei,  Haplopelia  hypolenca,  Numida 
meliagris,  Gallinula  angulata,  Anous  stolidus.  There  is 
nothing  more  than  these  species. 

The  north  side  of  the  island  is  less  thickly  wooded  ;  in 
fact,  there  are  portions  of  open  grass  country  interspersed 
with  plots  of  casada  and  yam,  grown  by  the  natives. 
There  is  a  fine  orange  on  the  island,  large  and  with  a 
thick  skin,  which  peels  off  easily.  It  is  rather  bitter  in 
taste.  Towards  evening  I  had  a  sharp  attack  of  fever, 
which  lasted  until  the  following  day.  I  had  evidently 
got  it  at  San  Thome,  and  it  was  of  the  blackvvater  type 


88  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

or  tendency,  with  a  temperature  not  higher  than  102  and 
with  pain  in  the  region  of  the  kidneys. 

Directly  the  Padres  heard  of  my  sickness,  they  very 
kindly  sent  up  some  tinned  milk  and  eggs. 

The  church  here  is  a  large  one,  and  it  took  some  eight 
years  to  build.     The  Padres  in  charge  are  two  in  number. 

The  inhabitants  live  chiefly  on  fish.  There  is  a  small 
colony  called  San  Pedro,  numbering  about  thirty  people, 
on  the  south  side  of  the  island.  The  rows  of  oblong 
wooden  huts  of  S.  Antonio,  ensconced  in  a  thick  grove 
of  cocoanut-trees,  is  typical  of  those  African  villages  one 
sees  depicted  in  the  older  books  of  travel,  those  of  Stanley, 
for  example. 

The  island  has  poor  soil,  very  stony  and  volcanic. 

The  inhabitants  suffer  a  good  deal  from  dysentery  of  a 
peculiar  type,  which  in  many  cases  continues  for  several 
years. 

February  20. — The  small  Spanish  steamer  Annabon 
(100  tons)  arrived,  and  we  left  by  it  the  following  day. 
Fare  to  Princes  Island  £35.  Both  the  captain  and 
purser   were  very  obliging  and  fed  us  well. 

February  22. — Arrived  at  San  Thome.  Decided  to  pick 
up  the  rest  of  my  baggage  and  not  return.  The  question 
of  expense  and  the  fact  that  I  am  anxious  to  get  to  the 
Cameroon  Peak  before  the  rainy  season  commences 
decided  me.  Though  I  am  short  of  one  or  two  species 
from  the  island,  I  am  convinced  that  a  longer  stay  would 
not  lead  to  any  new  discoveries. 

On  my  arrival,  I  found  that  in  my  absence  the  Batanga 
had  come  in  to  take  me  to  Annabon.  Sir  Alfred  Jones 
had  given  instructions,  but  the  agent  at  Duala  omitted  to 
let  me  know.  Having  waited  for  over  two  weeks  and 
getting  no  reply  to  my  wire,  I  chartered  the  Tonga.  I 
don't  think  I  am  to  blame  in  the  matter. 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST   JOURNEY  89 

February  23. — Said  goodbye  to  San  Thonie,  and  was 
not  sorry  to  do  so. 

February  24. — About  6.30  a.m.  we  anchored  at  Princes 
Island.  The  appearance  of  the  island  from  the  seaboard 
is  very  luxuriant ;  the  banks  clothed  right  down  to  the 
water's  edge  with  thick  forest  growth. 

Knowing  Portuguese  methods,  I  was  glad  to  get  off  the 
Annabon  about  eight  o'clock,  as  I  felt  sure  I  had  a  long 
day's  work  of  petty  interviews  with  officials  before  I  was 
free  to  move,  and  I  was  not  far  wrong.  First  of  all  to  my 
dismay  I  found  that  the  Governor  at  San  Thome  had 
omitted  to  inform  the  Governor  here  of  my  coming,  and 
this  after  having  promised  me  faithfully  he  would  do  so. 
The  Governor  lives  here  on  a  high  promontory  at  the 
entrance  of  the  harbour.  I  saw  his  secretary,  who  treated 
me  in  a  most  off-hand  manner  and  kept  me  waiting  at 
least  half  an  hour  pacing  up  and  down  in  front  of  his 
house  before  he  condescended  to  inform  me  that  he  had 
had  no  information  about  my  expedition.  The  next  thing 
I  determined  to  do  was  to  tackle  the  Governor  himself. 
So  I  and  Jos6  went  off  in  the  Telegraph  Station  boat 
to  see  him.  I  at  once  had  a  most  agreeable  impression  of 
him — in  fact,  a  sahib  all  over — and  he  showed  much 
sympathy  in  my  object.  He  at  once  wrote  a  letter  to  the 
Director  of  Customs  to  let  my  baggage  through,  but  this 
fellow  began  to  quibble  about  the  term  "  baggage,"  and 
said  that  it  did  not  include  my  stores,  which  was  all 
"  cargo  "  in  his  eyes,  so  I  again  had  to  send  Jose  off  to  the 
Governor  to  tell  him  of  my  situation.  All  this  time  the 
precious  minutes  were  slipping  by  and  I  had  visions  of 
camping  anywhere  I  could  in  the  dirty  town.  About 
three  o'clock  the  Governor  himself  with  his  secretary 
came  over,  but  apparently  he  had  not  much  influence  with 
the  Director  of  Customs,  who  said  he  would  never  let  my 


90  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

things  go  through  unless  he  had  instructions  from  the 
Governor  of  San  Thome.  In  the  meantime  the  Governor 
had  cabled  to  San  Thome  for  instructions,  and  shortly 
after  the  answer  came  that  the  expedition  was  recom- 
mended by  the  Government.  But  in  spite  of  this,  and  the 
fact  that  I  told  him  that  all  my  baggage  had  been  passed 
free  of  customs  duty  at  San  Thome,  that  it  was  an  under- 
stood privilege  given  to  scientific  expeditions,  this  little 
wretch  refused  to  yield.  Then  another  cable  was  dis- 
patched to  know  if  all  my  baggage  could  be  passed  free  of 
duty.  In  the  meantime  I  was  allowed  to  take  out  just 
enough  to  allow  me  to  make  my  camp  outside  the  town, 
and  it  was  none  to  soon,  as  it  was  past  four  o'clock,  so  we 
rushed  off  and  made  a  camp  on  a  road  to  a  cocoa 
plantation  just  beyond  the  cemetery  and  about  fifteen 
minutes'  walk  from  the  town.  The  cemetery  is  a  most 
dismal-looking  place,  and  full  of  broken-down  and  decayed 
crosses,  and  just  outside  the  gate  was  a  native  body,  wrapped 
in  cloth,  awaiting  burial,  presumably  a  wretched  servical. 
This  seems  to  be  the  method  of  burial,  that  of  depositing 
the  body  at  the  gate  for  the  caretaker  of  the  cemetery  to 
shovel  into  the  ground ;  a  small  coffin  containing  a  child 
was  left  in  the  same  way  the  next  day. 

February  25. — I  decided  to  wire  myself  about  three 
o'clock.  This  had  the  effect  of  the  Governor's  sending 
instructions  to  let  my  baggage  through. 

February  26. — Busy  all  the  morning  sorting  loads  for  a 
trip  up  country.  I  decided  to  leave  the  majority  of 
provision  boxes  in  the  Customs.  I  found  to  my  annoyance 
and  disgust  that  the  imp  of  a  Customs  House  official  had 
put  all  my  cartridge  boxes  to  get  drenched  by  the  heavy 
rain  which  fell  yesterday  evening,  because  he  said  they 
were  explosives  and  so  not  safe  to  be  left  in  the  Customs. 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  91 

A  large  part  of  my  stores,  which  I  shall  require  to  draw 
upon  while  I  am  away,  I  have  left  at  the  Telegraph 
Station.  The  Director,  Mr.  Hurdas,  who  is  just  now 
here  on  a  visit  of  inspection  (from  here  he  goes  to  San 
Thome),  has  been  very  kind  and  given  me  a  store  for  my 
things.  He  is  a  very  old  "  African."  He  comes  out  every 
afternoon  to  see  me  at  my  camp. 

I  am  close  to  the  Papagaio  River,  and  it  comes  as  rather 
a  surprise  considering  the  small  size  of  the  island.  Where 
we  are  encamped  it  must  be  quite  fifteen  yards  in  width. 
There  is  not  much  water  in  it,  presenting  now  the 
appearance  of  a  Scottish  burn. 

Went  with  Jose  to  call  upon  the  Director,  Mons.  Abrio, 
of  the  Esperanza  Company,  which  owns  a  good  slice  of  the 
island  to  our  front,  and  therefore  it  will  be  necessary  to 
get  permission  to  shoot  over  the  property.  The  English 
consul  (a  Spaniard)  at  San  Thome,  by  name  Marin,  has 
given  me  a  letter  of  introduction  to  him.  We  found  him 
in  and  quite  ready  to  do  everything  for  us. 

He  pressed  me  hard  to  take  a  room  and  enjoy  comfort- 
able meals  with  him,  but  I  stood  my  ground  at  the  risk  of 
offending  him,  and  he  marvelled  at  my  wanting  to  camp  in 
the  bush.  But  I  have  not  come  out  to  Africa  to  dwell 
behind  brick  walls.  The  old  order  has  changed  now  and 
men  who  come  out  here  cannot  realise  the  old  type  of 
"  African,"  who  made  his  camp  in  the  bush  when  and 
wherever  the  spirit  moved  him.  As  I  write,  my  camp 
presents  a  delightful  picture,  a  pretty  spot  almost 
surrounded  by  luxuriant  wood,  but  here  and  there  through 
openings  in  the  trees  towards  the  south  one  catches 
glimpses  of  mountainous  hills,  bathed  in  the  wonderful 
blue  which  only  distance  can  give.  At  varying  distances 
from  our  two  tents  the  men  have  constructed  their 
rough   huts  of  palm  leaf,  grouped,  I  might  almost  say, 


92  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

according  to  the  races,  the  Hausas  in  one  quarter,  the 
Men  dies  in  another,  but  all  forming  an  outside  ring  to  the 
tents,  and  then  when  night  comes  on  each  group  of  men 
sit  cross-legged  upon  the  ground  round  brightly  burning 
log  fires,  all  in  merry  mood — one  perhaps  amongst  them 
holding  forth  to  the  others  as  a  story-teller. 

"We  made  our  camp  not  far  below  the  roca.  This 
roca  is  a  large  one  with  well-built  houses — and  a  hospital 
attached.  The  sleeping  quarters  of  the  natives  look 
rather  like  prison  cells,  each  window  being  securely 
barred. 

The  working  hours  of  the  natives  are  from  6.30  with  a 
break  of  half  an  hour  at  eight  o'clock,  then  another  of  an 
hour  at  twelve  o'clock,  and  then  work  is  resumed  till  5.30 
p.m.  I  should  call  these  rather  long  hours  considering 
the  climate  and  the  amount  of  work  usually  got  out  of 
the  native.  The  Portuguese  themselves  are  hard  workers 
and  are  always  present  with  the  men. 

Our  camp  is  close  to  good  running  water.  The  men 
have  made  some  excellent  huts,  and  the  place  looks  more 
like  a  native  settlement  than  a  camp. 

Two  days'  collecting  gave  us  nearly  all  the  known 
species  here.  Amongst  the  cocoa  the  ground  pigeon  (H. 
principalis)  was  numerous  and  the  Glossy  Starling  every- 
where, but  the  bird  which  this  island  is  most  noted  for  is 
the  Grey  Parrot.  Though  still  fairly  numerous,  this 
bird  has  no  doubt  decreased  owing  to  the  forest  land 
being  gradually  converted  into  cocoa  plantations,  and  the 
planters  shoot  a  good  many  for  eating.  Kettlemans  in  his 
time  out  here  (1867)  reckoned  them  in  thousands.  Unless 
anything  has  been  done  since  Salvadore's  paper  on  the 
birds  of  this  island  in  1903  I  have  great  hopes  that  this 
parrot  is  a  new  one.  In  its  habits  and  manners  of  flight, 
&c,  one  would  put  it  down  to  the  West  African  species 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST   JOURNEY  93 

(Psittacus  erithacus),  and  that  is  how  I  think  it  has 
escaped  the  attention  of  former  naturalists  who  have 
visited  this  island.  But  when  in  the  hand  the  bird 
presents  a  remarkable  difference  from  the  African  species. 
The  entire  upper  and  under  parts  are  very  much  darker  ; 
the  feathers  of  the  latter  are  edged  with  dark  blue,  which 
gives  the  appearance,  when  viewed  in  a  certain  light,  of 
the  body's  being  strongly  marked  with  inky  blue.  All  my 
men  saw  the  difference  at  once.  I  propose  to  call  this 
new  species  Psittacus  princeps,  though  "  neglectus  "  might 
be  more  suitable,  but  I  feel  for  such  a  fine  bird  that  the 
latter  name  is  a  little  bit  derogatory.  "We  are  collecting 
on  an  average  fifteen  birds  a  day,  and  Jose  is  working 
very  well.  This  portion  of  the  island  is  very  well  culti- 
vated, but  there  are  still  a  few  patches  here  and  there  of 
forest  growth.  The  fruit  consists  of  bananas  and  oranges, 
which  are  rather  sour,  and  avocados  pears. 

A  great  deal  of  land  where  we  are  has  been  cleared, 
that  is  to  say,  tall  forest  trees  left  here  and  there,  but  the 
ground  underneath  shorn  of  everything  for  the  planting 
of  cocoa,  so  the  island  in  many  parts  has  been  bereft 
of  its  forestial  beauty,  which  it  must  have  possessed 
at  one  time.  The  steep  valleys  must  have  looked 
extremely  rich  when  clothed  in  masses  of  tropical  foliage, 
but  now  all  is  laid  bare  and  the  course  of  every  stream 
can  be  traced. 

This  island  is  remarkably  well  watered ;  streams  of 
sparkling  clearness  are  found  in  nearly  every  valley. 

The  two  big  streams  are  the  Papagaio  and  another 
corresponding  to  it  which  flows  down  the  other  side  of 
the  mountain  into  West  Bay. 

March  4. — Left  to  make  a  camp  on  a  high  ridge- 
like plateau  close  to  the  Peak.  This  ridge  is  very  narrow 
and  falls  down  abruptly  to  the  north,  and  to  the  south 


94  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

one  looks  down  into  a  steep  valley,  on  the  other  side  of 
which  rises  the  big  hill  covered  with  thick  forest  growth. 

By  my  aneroid  the  height  of  the  ridge  is  about  1,800 
feet. 

Looking  to  the  north,  there  is  a  splendid  view  over  the 
greater  portion  of  the  island.  I  should  say  at  least  two- 
thirds  of  it.  The  whole  of  this  is  undulating  and  thickly 
covered  with  trees,  except  where  the  wood  has  been 
thinned  out  for  the  cocoa  plantations.  The  harbour  is  of 
remarkable  form,  cutting  deep  into  the  northern  end  of 
the  island.  I  might  liken  it  to  the  wide  estuary  of  a 
river. 

The  remaining  third  of  the  island — the  ridge  where  my 
camp  is  now,  marking  its  northern  boundary — is  the 
mountainous  portion  of  the  island.  Here  there  are  one 
or  two  peaks  of  remarkable  shape.  Papagaio  itself  is 
like  the  top  of  a  pepper  caster.  Here  and  there  round  its 
side  the  bare  volcanic  stone  can  be  seen,  too  steep  for 
tree  growth,  but  everywhere  else  it  is  thickly  clothed  with 
trees.  Then  there  is  the  Carriote,  a  bare  pillar  of  stone, 
and  a  small  edition  of  the  Dog  Peak  on  San  Thome. 
The  island,  however,  is  nothing  like  so  mountainous  as 
San  Thome,  which  is  a  mass  of  wooded  hills  and 
mountains. 

Since  we  have  been  on  the  island  there  has  been  very 
little  rain,  now  and  again,  sharp  fall  at  night  or  early  in 
the  morning,  or  towards  evening,  and  generally  coming 
from  the  north.  The  atmosphere  is  rather  close,  except 
on  the  high  ground,  where  there  is  always  a  breeze  blow- 
ing, often  stiffly,  from  the  south.  I  should  not  say  that 
this  was  at  all  an  unhealthy  island.  Since  I  have  been 
here  I  have  been  feeling  remarkably  well.  It  is  now  the 
rainy  season,  which  lasts  from  September  to  May. 

The  thickly  wooded  nature  of  the  mountain  raised  my 


DIARY   OF  HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  95 

hopes  of  getting  some  interesting  species,  including 
Turdus  anthorhynchus,  the  thrush  obtained  by  Fea,  but 
my  hopes  were  not  be  realised.  I  found  wonderful 
forest  growth  on  the  hill ;  and  though  I  had  a  path  cut 
almost  to  the  top  of  the  hill  to  facilitate  my  collecting 
work,  I  was  not  rewarded.  It  was  quite  sad  to  find  all 
this  fine  forest  absolutely  devoid  of  bird-life — nothing 
but  silence  or  subdued  tones  everywhere. 

However,  our  days  up  here  have  not  been  quite  lost,  for 
I  have  collected  a  pair  of  Lagonosticta,  which  I  am 
almost  certain  will  be  new  to  science.  This  species 
is  rare. 

Being  on  such  an  elevated  site  I  thought  it  would  be  a 
good  opportunity  to  display  two  or  three  of  my  rockets. 
These  are  the  same  as  I  had  on  my  last  expedition.  They 
are  1  lb.  in  weight  and  are  made  by  Brock.  They 
are  very  fine,  shooting  up  a  prodigious  height  into  the 
sky  with  a  broad  trail  of  fire  and  then  bursting  with  a 
terrific  report  that  seems  to  shake  the  whole  country. 

As  each  burst  in  the  air  the  men  added  to  the  effect  by 
raising  a  war  song.  Several  planters  with  whom  I  spoke 
afterwards  said  they  thought  it  was  a  signal  to  the  whole 
island  that  the  Dowager  Queen  of  Portugal  was  dead  ! 

March  9. — Left  for  a  large  roca  called  Sundy,  situated 
in  the  north  of  the  island,  and  arrived  there  on  the 
10th. 

In  this  portion  of  the  island  there  is  much  forest 
growth,  that  contains  many  swampy,  sluggish  streams, 
reminding  me  very  much  of  the  Congo  forest.  It  is 
as  silent  as  the  grave  and  there  is  no  bird  life.  There  is 
a  great  deal  of  the  tsetse-fly  here  (Glossina  papalis). 
The  doctor  at  the  roca  tells  me  that  it  first  came  to  the 
island  some  twenty  years  ago,  and  the  mortality  amongst 
the   natives  was  at  one   time  very   great   owing   to  the 


96  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

lack  of  supervision  over  natives  already  infected  with 
the  disease  that  were  brought  into  the  island.  The  fly 
is  believed  to  have  been  brought  by  the  wind  from 
Gaboon.  At  present,  owing  to  the  more  careful  super- 
vision (for  every  new  hand  that  is  now  brought  in  from 
the  Coast  has  his  blood  examined),  the  mortality  has 
been  much  reduced.  On  this  roQa  the  average  death- 
rate  every  year  is  now  2  per  cent.  The  majority  of 
the  labourers  here  are  from  the  Cape  Verde  Islands. 
They  receive  better  treatment  than  the  Angola,  for  the 
simple  reason  they  will  not  be  slave-driven.  They  gene- 
rally get  back  home  after  their  five  years'  term,  and  there 
are  several  here  who  are  out  again  for  the  second  time. 

A  good  method  which  the  Portuguese  have  here  to 
lessen  the  fly  is  to  make  the  men  wear  while  working 
in  the  plantations  a  stiff,  black  canvas  placard,  like  a 
sandwich  board,  upon  their  backs.  This  is  smeared  over 
with  resin  and  palm-oil,  and  has  the  effect  of  attracting 
the  flies,  where  they  stick.  It  is  a  curious  thing,  but 
this  fly  seems  to  be  attracted  either  by  black  or  white, 
preferably  the  former.  I  have  seen  this  myself  when 
I  have  been  reading  a  paper,  which  they  have  settled 
upon  in  preference  to  myself. 

This  island  is  being  rapidly  opened  up  with  light 
tramways  to  all  the  plantations.  Here  they  are  con- 
structing an  electric  one.  This  roca  is  one  of  the  largest 
in  the  island,  and  has  a  good  hospital  with  a  doctor 
on  the  spot.  The  average  amount  of  cocoa  produced 
on  the  island  in  the  year  is  120,000  bags  of  112  lb. 
each.  The  planters  tell  me  they  confidently  hope  to 
double  this  output  when  all  the  tram-lines  are  completed. 
Personally,  I  consider  that  Principe  is  far  better  opened 
up  than  San  Thome.  Of  course,  the  less  mountainous 
character  of  the  island  makes  it  easier. 


DIARY   OF  HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  97 

The  preparation  of  cocoa  out  here  is  as  follows  : — 
The  seed  after  being  taken  out  of  the  pod  is  placed 
in  large  wooden  trays  which  are  covered  over  with  a 
lid.  Here  it  is  allowed  to  ferment.  Then  when  the 
process  is  completed  this  lid  is  taken  off  and  the  seed 
is  allowed  to  bake  in  the  sun.  After  this  it  is  placed 
in  a  winnowing  machine  worked  by  hand,  on  the 
same  principle,  but  on  a  small  scale,  as  of  our 
thrashing  machine.  This  separates  the  husks  and  com- 
pletes the  preparation.  The  cocoa  is  then  put  in  bags, 
ready  for  shipment. 

March  17. — Left  for  "West  Bay,  where  there  is 
another  large  roca.  We  passed  through  it,  and  made 
our  camp  a  mile  or  so  to  the  south.  I  had  hopes  of 
finding  here  the  new  thrush,  T.  author hynchus,  found 
here  by  Fea ;  but  constant  searching  in  all  the  likely 
localities  proved  fruitless.  I  cannot  help  thinking  there 
must  be  some  mistake  about  this  bird,  or  otherwise  it 
must  be  a  very  rare  species.  Nor  could  we  find  the 
Wood  Ibis  (G.  olivacens).     It  is  probably  migratory. 

March  19. — Left  by  a  short  cut  across  the  hills  to 
our  old  camp,  at  the  base  of  Papagaio.  The  road  which 
we  followed  to  cross  the  hills,  though  much  overgrown, 
is  a  wonderful  piece  of  road-making ;  the  gradient  is 
gentle  and  follows  the  contour  of  the  hill.  It  must  have 
been  done  when  the  island  was  first  opened  up  many 
years  ago.  The  Portuguese  certainly  excel  in  road- 
making  ;  the  tramways  (often  with  deep  cuttings)  are 
quite  admirable. 

There  has  been  much  heavy  rain  lately. 

March  22. — The  Spanish  boat  Annabon  arrived 
in  the  evening.     She  is  taking  us  to  Fernando  Po. 

8 


98  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

March  23. — Left  our  camp  and  arrived  about  two 
o'clock  at  the  Port.  Sent  a  telegram  home,  and  also 
one  to  the  Governor  at  Buea,  asking  him  to  give  an 
order  to  the  Customs  at  Victoria  to  pass  our  baggage. 

I  had  my  last  fight  with  the  Portuguese,  and  only  got 
off  by  the  skin  of  my  teeth.  The  Customs  officials  have 
done  all  they  can  to  worry  me,  and  I  had  to  pay  16,000 
reis  before  they  would  allow  me  to  embark.  This  was 
for  Customs  dues,  &c,  which  I  ought  to  be  exempted 
from,  but  they  seemed  determined  to  get  something  out 
of  me,  and  they  knew  I  had  no  time  to  appeal  to  the 
Governor. 

On  my  arrival  on  board,  the  captain,  who  spoke 
broken  English,  was  very  rude  to  me,  and  said  I  had 
kept  him  waiting.  But  was  it  my  fault  ?  Setting  aside 
the  delay  caused  by  the  Portuguese,  which  had  all  the 
appearance  of  being  done  on  purpose,  the  boat  which 
had  been  lent  to  me  by  the  clerk  at  the  Telegraph 
Station  was  coolly  commandeered  in  the  absence  of 
my  men,  who  were  engaged  in  getting  my  baggage 
from  the  Telegraph  Station,  by  some  Portuguese 
passengers,  who  took  it  off  to  their  steamer  lying  in 
the  harbour.  It  was  only  brought  back  by  the  steamer's 
launch  after  a  delay  of  forty  minutes.  I  am  heartily 
glad  to  shake  the  Portuguese  dust  off  my  feet. 

March  23. — A  heavy  tornado  at  night,  but  managed 
to  sleep  through  it  on  deck.  Towards  six  o'clock, 
March  24th,  we  came  in  sight  of  the  southern  portion 
of  Fernando  Po,  and  after  the  rain  the  Peak  showed 
up  very  clear.  It  is  a  very  imposing  island.  It  seems 
little  cultivated  along  the  southern  seaboard.  With  a 
little  spare  capital,  I  think  it  would  not  be  half  a  bad 
venture  to  buy  a  cocoa  farm  here.  Cocoa,  however, 
has   gone   down   a   good  deal  in  price.     The  labourers 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  99 

here  receive  three  dollars  a  month.  There  is  nothing 
to  prevent  one  from  "squatting"  on  the  island.  That 
is  to  say,  cutting  down  virgin  wood  and  planting 
cocoa.  Then  when  the  plantations  are  formed  the 
Government  steps  in  and  measures  the  property,  and 
a  charge  of  £1  per  hectare  is  made. 

Mr.  Isaac,  the  manager  of  Holt's,  was  very  obliging. 
He  is  Consular  Agent  here,  and  was  able  to  get  what  I 
wanted  passed  through  the  Customs.  He  also  made  an 
arrangement  with  the  Spanish  Steamship  Company  to 
take  me  the  next  day  to  Victoria  in  their  small  launch, 
called  the  Gandi.  All  my  baggage  was  accordingly 
transhipped  from  the  Corisco  on  to  the  Gandi,  but  at 
the  last  moment  the  engines  refused  to  work.  This 
is  typical  of  Spanish  and  Portuguese  methods.  How- 
ever, the  next  day  the  Annabon  arrived  from  Elobey, 
and  she  is  to  go  to  Victoria  instead. 

Made  a  camp  in  the  Mango  Avenue. 

March  25. — Busy  all  day  labelling  and  packing  up 
skins. 

March  26. — Very  wet  early  morning.  We  struck  camp 
about  eleven  o'clock,  and  went  on  board  the  Annabon, 
which  left  for  Victoria  at  one  o'clock.  When  close  to 
Victoria  a  heavy  tornado  came  on  about  eight  o'clock. 
I  was  in  bed  on  deck,  and  I  had  a  pretty  good  wetting, 
and  was  glad  when  the  morning  came.  Arrived  about 
8  a.m.,  and  went  ashore  to  the  Ambas  Bay  Company, 
and  saw  there  the  acting  manager,  a  German,  Herr 
Clemen,  who  seemed  ready  to  help  me  in  every  way. 
He  put  the  Company's  boat  at  my  disposal.  This  was 
a  great  convenience,  my  stores  being  landed  and  taken 
straight  to  the  store  enclosure.  I  had  no  bother  with 
the   Customs,  since  instructions  were  sent   from  Buea 


100  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

that  I  was  not  to  be  bothered  too  much,  and  consequently 
only  a^nominal  charge  was  put  on  whatever  stores  I  took 
up  country.  It  is  refreshing  to  feel  quit  once  more  of 
the  annoying  methods  of  the  Portuguese  and  Spanish. 
Having  my  own  carriers,  I  was  able  to  get  on  the  road 
the  same  day,  leaving  Victoria  about  two  o'clock,  and 
after  about  two  hours'  travelling  made  a  camp  at  a  dirty 
little  Bakwiri  village.  These  people  live  under  filthy 
conditions — pigs,  cattle,  dogs,  and  goats  all  share  shelter 
with  the  owners. 

The  inhabitants  could  not  make  me  out  at  first,  but 
eventually  came  to  the  conclusion  I  was  a  missionary. 
In  the  evening,  while  I  was  having  my  supper,  the  young 
girls  and  boys  came  round  me  and  entertained  me  with 
missionary  hymns. 

March  27. — Made  an  early  start,  and  arrived  at  Buea 
about  eleven  o'clock.  Altogether  from  Victoria  the  trek 
is  about  five  hours  along  a  good  road,  which  ascends  by 
gentle  gradients.  The  altitude  of  Buea  is  3,000  feet. 
On  arriving  I  went  in  search  of  the  Acting  Governor, 
Herr  Hansen,  and  as  luck  would  have  it  met  him  going 
to  his  office.  He  greeted  me  very  graciously,  and  said 
my  sudden '"arrival  had  given  him  no  chance  to  make 
any  preparation.  He  [then  asked  me  to  lunch.  In  the 
meantime  I  made  a  camp  in  the  best  place  I  could 
find  among  some  rather  rank  grass  just  above  the 
station  proper.  Just  after  pitching  very  heavy  rain 
came  on,  which  made  me  annoyingly  late  for  luncheon 
with  the  Hansens.  When  I  got  there  I  looked  more 
like  a  drowned  rat  than  anything  else,  which  caused 
much  amusement  to  Frau  Hansen  and  another  lady, 
the  wife  of  Herr  Kirchoff,  the  Kesident  at  Victoria. 
The  Governor's  house  is  a  regal  place,  most  solidly 
built,  and  decorated  regardless  of   cost.     I  don't  think 


Camp  above  Buea. 


TlIK    •'  I'.'  A  S  "  Ol     l  HE    Exi'EDl  I  [ON, 


DIARY   OF  HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  101 

that  any  building  in  our  West  African  colonies  can 
hold  a  candle  to  it.  Buea  is  quite  a  show  station. 
All  the  buildings  are  well  laid  out  and  planned,  and 
everything  is  in  apple-pie  order.  There  are  something 
like  118  white  officials  and  sixteen  ladies.  What  they 
all  do,  God  only  knows !  It  must  be  a  heavy  drain 
on  the  home  Government.  I  must  say  the  Germans 
here  have  done  nothing  by  halves.  From  a  financial 
point  of  view  it  is  another  question.  This  love  for 
exactness  and  order  is  really  carried  too  far !  To  give 
an  example :  I  had  subsequently  to  go  down  from  my 
camp  to  see  the  station-master.  He  was  just  dismissing 
some  carriers.  They  started  to  leave,  as  I  thought,  as  an 
orderly  crowd,  but  they  were  all  called  back  and  made  to 
walk  in  single  file  like  soldiers.  Every  one  here  lives  in 
the  lap  of  luxury ;  there  is  a  good  dairy,  where  butter 
and  cheese  are  made,  and  fresh  milk,  of  course,  is  to  be 
had  every  day.  There  is  a  fine  herd  of  some  sixty  head 
of  cattle.  Every  cow  has  a  bell  round  her  neck,  and 
wherever  the  herd  strays  there  is  the  agreeable  sound  of 
mountain  music.  To  go  back.  Mrs.  Hansen  is  a 
charming  lady,  and  speaks  English  fluently.  Her 
mother  was  Scottish.  Frau  Kirchoff,  who  is  quite 
pretty,  got  mixed  now  and  again,  and  lapsed  into 
pidgin  English.  Nearly  all  the  officials  here  speak 
English,  or  rather  pidgin.  They  have  to  use  it  to 
talk  to  the  boys,  and  even  the  soldiers  are  drilled  in 
our  language.  It  must  be  rather  galling  to  them,  and 
I  suppose  equally  so  to  us,  for  this,  by  rights,  should 
have  been  an  English  colony. 

In  the  evening  I  dined  with  the  Hansens.  I  broached 
the  question  of  being  able  to  get  on  to  Yola  after  my  work 
on  the  Mountain.  Herr  Hansen  made  no  difficulty,  and 
said  I  might  go  wherever  I  liked. 


102  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

March  28.  Left  for  the  Mountain.  Except  where  the 
Germans  have  cleared  above  Buea  for  their  cattle,  the 
forest  begins  about  a  mile  above  the  station.  A  two 
hours'  strenuous  pull  through  the  forest  in  a  north-west 
direction  brought  us  to  a  clearing  where  a  good  bungalow 
has  been  built  for  the  benefit  of  tired  officials  seeking  the 
mountain  air.  I  decided  to  work  the  forest  from  here, 
and  made  a  camp  just  above  the  house.  Thanks  to  some 
odd  pieces  of  zinc  sheeting,  I  was  able  to  make  a  house 
for  the  men.  They  feel  the  cold  a  good  deal,  but  I  have 
sent  down  to  Victoria  for  some  more  blankets.  Since 
arriving  at  Victoria  it  has  rained  every  day,  which  is 
unusual  here  at  this  time  of  the  year.  The  rainy  season 
does  not  commence  till  the  end  of  June.  We  scarcely 
see  anything  of  the  sun  up  here.  Depressing  mists  come 
over  in  great  waves,  shrouding  up  everything,  blurring 
the  trees  to  phantoms,  and  the  shaggy  tresses  of  lichen 
which  stream  from  the  boughs  of  many  add  to  the  weird 
effect.  It  is  difficult  under  these  conditions  to  get  the 
skins  to  dry,  and  we  have  had  to  put  the  mammal  skins 
over  a  wood  fire. 

The  forest,  which  ascends  to  a  height  of  something  like 
7,000  feet,  is  very  dense,  and  consequently  I  find  the 
collecting  work  very  difficult.  I  lose  on  the  average 
half  of  what  I  shoot.  I  am  now  employing  the  men 
in  cutting  paths  in  all  directions,  which  I  think  will 
give  me  better  chances. 

Several  missionaries  have  come  up  to  see  me  here, 
both  from  the  Basel  Mission  and  the  Baptist  Mission. 
One  is  a  particularly  nice  man,  Herr  Martens,  of  the 
latter  Mission.  He  speaks  English  perfectly,  and  has 
been  up  several  times  to  see  me,  and  has  also  sent  me 
fresh  meat  and  vegetables. 

I    shall    not    make    a    daily   record    of  my   work   a^ 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  103 

Miissacka,  one  day  is  so  very  much  like  another.  My 
task  is  to  rise  about  5.30,  when  my  boy  brings  me  a 
cup  of  coffee.  After  this  I  go  out  to  collect,  and 
generally  come  back  about  nine  o'clock,  when  I  have 
my  first  meal.  Jose  does  the  same.  After  breakfast 
he  sets  to  work  to  skin  and  make  up  whatever  has 
been  shot.  I  go  out  again  till  midday,  then  have  my 
luncheon,  followed  perhaps  by  a  rest  till  two  o'clock, 
when  I  go  out  till  five.  Then  a  warm  bath  comes  as 
a  refreshing  relief,  and  afterwards  I  have  a  whisky  and 
soda  to  set  my  brain  cogs  in  motion,  and  then  my  diary 
is  made  up.  My  last  meal  is  at  6.30,  and  it  is  never 
later  than  nine  when  I  turn  in.     And  so  the  days  pass, 

->Tes.k 


but  they  are  always  delightful,  since  I  feel  that  I  am 
in  close  touch  with  Nature.  While  I  have  been  col- 
lecting, the  men  have  made  a  road  to  the  top  of  the 
first  ridge,  the  most  difficult  part  of  the  ascent,  being 
the  steepest.  This  took  eight  days.  The  Mountain  is 
divided  into  three  ridges.  The  first,  above  the  forest, 
is  grass-grown  and  scarred  by  deep  channels  and 
cavernous  fissures.  Between  the  first  and  second  ridges 
the  course  lies  over  old  lava  beds  interspersed  with 
grass  and  a  species  of  broom,  a  decorative  shrub  with 
small  dark  green  leaves.  I  am  sending  some  of  the 
seed  home.     I  think  it  would  look  well  in  the  park. 

On  the  top  of  the  second  ridge  a  small  plateau,  about 
three-quarters  of  a  mile  in  width,  runs  up  to  the  base 
of  the  Peak  itself. 


104  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

A  few  nights  ago  a  serious  fray  in  the  carriers'  camp 
took  place  between  the  Mendies  and  Hausas.  It  origi- 
nated in  a  single  quarrel,  one  of  the  Mendies  cursing  the 
mother  of  a  Hausa.  To  have  his  mother  cursed  is  a 
grave  insult  even  in  the  eyes  of  the  black  man.  In 
cases  of  quarrels  of  this  kind  I  always  think  it  best 
to  let  them  fight  it  out  there  and  then.  But  the  fight 
in  question  was  so  fierce  that  in  a  short  time  it  became  a 
party  affair.  A  mad  rush  was  made  to  the  logs  on  the 
camp  fire,  and  in  a  very  short  time  cracks  on  skulls  and 
the  dull  sound  of  body  blows  became  general.  It  was 
with  great  difficulty  that  Jose  and  I  were  able  at  length 
to  restore  order. 

April  15. — The  road  being  completed,  we  made  an 
early  start  for  the  Mountain  with  the  intention  of  making 
a  camp  on  the  first  ridge.  All  water  had  to  be  carried. 
The  large  water-carrier  which  I  got  at  Silver's  came  in 
very  useful.  All  the  loads,  of  course,  had  to  be  very  light. 
I  had  five  white  flags  placed  up  the  track  at  intervals. 
When  the  mountain  is  clear  they  can  be  seen  from  Buea. 

Three  days  ago  a  wonderful  rainbow  of  the  most 
brilliant  colouring  appeared  towards  evening  in  the 
south.  After  the  excessive  rains  of  the  past  fortnight 
one  could  not  help  being  reminded  of  the  story  of  Noah 
and  the  Ark,  to  hope  that  it  was  the  sign  of  better 
weather  to  come.  It  is  generally  towards  evening  and 
the  early  morning  that  the  hill  is  visible,  and  then  it 
is  that  a  fine  panoramic  view  of  the  land  below  can 
be  obtained.  The  Cameroon  River  and  its  many  creeks 
intersecting  a  well-wooded  country  show  out  sharp  and 
clear.  To  look  down  upon  the  clouds  is  wonderful ; 
masses  of  soft,  billowy  vapour  lie  over  the  land  below 
like  a  rich  canopy,  and  so  opaque  that   one  feels  that 


DIARY  OF  HIS  LAST  JOURNEY  105 

to  jump  down  would  only  be  to  bury  oneself  in  a  great 
bed  of  wool. 

The  ascent  was  successfully  accomplished  to  the  first 
ridge,  which  is  about  8,000  feet.  Here  I  made  a  camp. 
The  actual  time  from  Miissacka  was  an  hour  and  twenty- 
five  minutes. 

All  the  men,  with  the  exception  of  the  two  gun  boys, 
Mama  and  Wigga,  the  cook  boy,  John,  and  the  cook's 
mate,  Thomas,  left  again  for  Miissacka,  as  the  nights 
were  pretty  cold.* 

April  16. — Went  out  collecting  and  found  the  following 
three  species,  which  I  think  will  be  new  ones.  An  anthus, 
which  frequents  the  grass-covered  portions  of  the  hill. 
It  is  shy,  and  flies  when  disturbed  to  perch  on  boulders. 
On  my  trial  trip  to  the  Peak,  which  was  on  Easter 
Sunday,  when  I  reached  the  base  of  the  Peak  I  observed 
this  species.  The  other  two  species  were  a  Weaver  finch 
and  a  Saxicola.     The  former  was  in  small  flocks. 

The  western  portion  of  the  Mountain  has  much  less 
lava  beds  and  more  of  grass  land.  Looking  due  west 
from  the  camp,  about  three  miles  distant,  one  sees  the 
wood  creeping  up  to  a  small  peak,  and  directly  behind 
this  the  small  Kamerun  Peak,  which  is  also  thickly 
wooded. 

April  17. — Left  to  ascend  the  Peak,  and  reached  the 
summit  at  two  o'clock,  the  actual  ascent  taking  one  hour 
and  fifty  minutes.  At  the  base  of  the  Peak  there  are  old 
lava  beds,  where  the  stones  are  now  thickly  coated  with  a 
greenish  lichen.  A  pretty  red  heather  also  is  to  be  found 
growing  in  thick  bunches.     In  the  last   portion  of  the 

*  In  the  early  morning,  6.30  to  seven  o'clock,  the  average  maximum 
temperature  was  50  and  the  minimum  40,  and  the  cold  was  intensified 
by  a  stiff  wind  from  the  east. 


106  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

ascent  one  sinks  ankle-deep  in  fine  ashes.     The  summit 
is  a  most  forbidding-looking  place,  nothing  more  than  a 
series   of   deep   craters,    or   vast    ash-pits    would    better 
describe   them.     There   are   at   least   five   of  these,  and 
they  are  so  fresh-looking  that  the  ash  might  have  been 
thrown  up  but  yesterday.     There  are  no  weeds  nor  grass 
to  tell  their  age,  but  here  and  there  grow  large  tufts  of 
a  spongy,  dark  green  moss.     It  was  pretty  cold,  with  a 
maximum  temperature  of  55  and  minimum  50  (2.30  p.m.). 
Continual  mists  kept  passing  over  us,  but  now  and  again 
the  sun  would  part  them  and  disclose  to  view  the  moun- 
tain land  below  us,  and  even  the  blurr  of  distant  forest 
land  beyond.    We  succeeded  in  creeping  up  to  the  highest 
point,  which  terminates  in  a  kind  of  promontory,  and  is 
actually  the  rim  of  a  very  deep  crater  where  the  lava 
has  made  its  exit.     I  felt  dizzy,  and  so  had  to  lie  upon 
my  stomach  to  take  a  photograph   of   the  land  below, 
which    showed    a    picturesque    group    of    grass-covered 
mounds,  or,  rather,  extinct   craters,  lying  to  the  west. 
The  afternoon  light,  playing  over  them  in  waves,  lent 
them  a  plushy  appearance.     These  mounds  gave  me  a 
very  good  idea  of  the  formation  of   a  crater  ;    some   of 
them  were  mere  shells,  as  if  the  whole  of  their  centres 
had  been  scooped  out  from  one  side.     At  the  base  of  the 
Peak  the  Germans  have  built  a  small  tin  house.     In  it 
I   found   a   somewhat   dilapidated   book    containing   the 
names  of  those  who  have  climbed  the  Peak,  but  several 
of  the  pages  had  been  torn  out,   and  I  looked  in  vain 
for  that  of  Mary  Kingsley.     At  Buea  I  was  told  by  a 
German  officer  that  he  had  seen  it  in  the  book.     It  must 
therefore  have  been  torn  out.     It  is  a  great  shame.     She 
is  the  only  woman  who  has  ever  climbed  the  Peak.     She 
must  have  been  a  woman  of  exceptional  strength,  for  it 
is  a  climb  that  taxes  the  powers  of  the  strongest. 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  107 

After  a  rather  trying  descent,  and  I  always  think  that 
it  is  much  worse  than  the  ascent,  we  reached  our  camp 
with  a  feeling  of  satisfaction  that  one  of  the  objects  of 
the  expedition  had  been  accomplished. 

April  18. — I  and  Jose  left  to  try  and  gain  the  small 
Kamerun  Peak  by  following  the  first  ridge  in  a  due 
westerly  direction,  but  it  turned  out  to  be  farther  off 
than  it  looked.  After  a  two  hours'  trudge  we  gained 
a  wooded  ravine.  On  the  other  side  of  this  the  forest 
growth  crept  up  the  hill  to  cover  the  first  small  peak, 
which  I  have  already  mentioned.  The  trees  in  this 
ravine  were  of  scarecrow  appearance,  which  was  accen- 
tuated by  the  long  tresses  of  lichen  streaming  from  their 
limbs.  Amongst  the  undergrowth  I  came  across  black- 
berries, in  colour  a  pale  red,  but  with  the  old  familiar 
taste,  reminding  one  of  breezy  commons  and  snug 
hedgerows  at  home. 

I  noticed  no  different  species  of  birds  from  what  I  had 
already  obtained  in  the  forest  below.  After  luncheon  we 
left  to  return,  but  the  end  of  an  enjoyable  day  was  un- 
fortunately marred  before  we  could  reach  Miissacka  by 
drenching  rain.  However,  I  feel  I  ought  not  to  com- 
plain, for  we  have  had  on  the  whole  splendid  days  since 
the  appearance  of  the  rainbow. 

April  23. — Herr  Martens,  of  the  Baptist  Mission,  has 
kindly  sent  me  up  one  of  the  Buea  hunters  to  help  me  to 
finish  the  collecting  here,  especially  to  try  and  obtain 
a  rare  Francolin,  which  seems  to  keep  entirely  to  the 
forest  growth  above  our  camp.  Often  towards  sundown 
we  hear  its  loud  cry  in  some  steep  valley  above  us.  I 
feel  convinced  the  bird  is  different  from  that  found  about 
Buea.  The  hunter,  who  knows  a  good  deal  about  the 
animals  and  birds  of  these  parts,  is  of  the  same  opinion. 


108  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

He  turns  out  to  be  the  hunter  employed  by  Herr  Hansen, 
but  as  the  latter  is  away  from  Buea  I  don't  think  there 
will  be  any  objection  to  my  employing  him.  He  speaks 
good  English,  and  promises  to  get  all  the  "  small  fowl " 
he  can  for  me.  He  is  an  evil-looking  person.  His  right 
eye  has  at  one  time  been  injured,  and  the  lower  lid  hangs 
down  all  bloodshot,  and  water  is  frequently  streaming 
from  it.  His  face,  too,  has  numerous  scars,  which  look 
very  much  like  old  burns.  He  wears  a  dilapidated  black 
hat  of  Guy  Fawkes  shape.  The  rest  of  his  clothes,  mis- 
fits of  the  most  gross  kind  and  much  torn,  are  almost  as 
sombre.  His  only  companion  is  an  apology  for  a  dog, 
one  of  the  leanest  pariahs  I  have  ever  seen,  but  his 
master  is  loud  in  praises  of  his  hunting  qualities. 

In  spite  of  this  bad  picture  there  is  a  kindly  look  in 
his  one  good  eye  that  tends  at  once  to  dispel  the  first 
bad  impression. 

April  24. — The  hunter  left  early  with  one  of  my 
12-bores,  and  came  back  about  midday  with  the  bush 
fowl  I  wanted.  It  is  a  remarkable  species,  and  I  think 
it  will  be  new  to  science.  In  the  meantime  the  men 
are  making  a  path  with  the  idea  of  reaching  the  small 
Kamerun  Peak.  It  runs  along  the  edge  of  the  forest 
growth  before  the  grass  is  reached. 

The  collecting  is  going  on  well.  Several  of  my  Fer- 
nando Po  species,  or  I  hope  their  near  allies,  have  turned 
up.  These  belong  to  the  genera  Lioptilus,  Nesocharis, 
Dryoscopus,  Hapaloderma,  Smithornis,  Cinnyris,  and 
Cryptolopha,  and  within  the  last  day  or  two  I  have,  as 
it  were,  struck  a  new  vein  in  birdlife  here,  and  that  is 
in  the  forest  at  an  altitude  of  about  4,000  feet.  As  soon 
as  the  road  to  the  small  hill  is  made  I  shall  leave 
Miissacka  and  make  a  camp  in  the  forest  to  work  the 
ground  at  this  altitude. 


DIARY   OF  HIS  LAST  JOURNEY  109 

April  26. — A  fine  day,  and  the  road  having  been  finished, 
I  and  Jose  started  for  the  small  hill,  which  we  reached 
after  a  climb  of  an  hour  and  forty  minutes.  I  shall  have 
to  give  up  the  idea  of  exploring  the  small  Kamerun 
Peak ;  it  is  too  far  off,  and  the  making  of  a  road 
would  take  up  too  much  time. 

At  the  top  of  the  hill  we  obtained  a  fine  view  of  the 
Fernando  Po  Peak.  My  aneroid  recorded  8,000  feet. 
After  our  midday  meal  we  left. 

In  the  evening,  while  sitting  in  my  tent  after  supper,  I 
had  a  suspicion  that  the  ground  underneath  my  chair 
shook.  This  was  at  eight  o'clock.  It  was  ever  so  little, 
but  enough  to  make  me  call  Jose,  who  at  once  confirmed 
my  suspicion.  Half  an  hour  later  another  shock  came, 
and  after  this  at  intervals  of  five  to  ten  minutes  there 
were  more,  and  increasing  in  violence.  The  night  was 
very  dark,  and  this  added  to  the  terror,  if  anything.  At 
each  great  boom  from  the  Mountain  above  us  the  earth 
beneath  us  shook  like  a  live  thing.  Shock  after  shock 
came  and  went,  to  die  away  in  the  forest  below  us. 
Torrents  of  stones  poured  down  the  hill  within  half  a 
mile  of  our  camp  ;  forest  trees  kept  crashing  down  and 
breaking  in  two  like  matchsticks,  and  the  cries  of  terrified 
monkeys  fleeing  before  the  torrent  added  more  horror,  if 
that  were  possible,  to  the  dreadful  scene,  while  in  the 
intervals  of  silence  we  could  hear  far  below  us  the  hymns 
from  a  Mission  going  up  for  protection.  I  stuck  to  it  as 
long  as  I  could  in  the  hope  that  things  would  improve, 
but  they  only  grew  worse,  and  at  three  o'clock  in  the 
morning  I  sounded  the  retreat,  and  this  lasted  over  two 
hours  in  torrential  rain  through  the  thick  forest.  I  had 
the  intention  of  camping  on  a  spot  which  I  had  already 
cleared  for  my  next  camp,  not  very  far  from  where  the 
forest     begins    above    Buea.     On    reaching    this    place 


110  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

I  sent  back  the  men  to  bring  down  the  remainder  of  my 
loads.  On  coming  down  they  reported  to  me  that  they 
had  hardly  left  the  old  camp  when  showers  of  stones 
came  down  and  covered  the  place.  This  was  a  narrow 
escape  ! 

In  the  meantime  the  ground  which  I  had  cleared 
seemed  so  unsafe  that  I  decided  to  go  still  farther 
down  and  make  a  camp  near  the  station  farm.  This 
we  did  about  seven  o'clock.  With  the  exception  of  two 
or  three  white  officials,  every  one  at  Buea  had  fled  to 
Victoria,  and  then  on  to  Duala. 

Altogether,  during  the  first  night  of  the  earthquake,  over 
one  hundred  shocks  were  felt  at  Buea,  and  there  were 
numerous  severe  shocks  throughout  the  day  of  the  27th.* 

It  was  extremely  fortunate  that  our  work  was  prac- 
tically finished  when  the  earthquake  happened,  and  I 
mean  to  leave  now  for  Bituti,  a  small  Bakwiri  village 
about  two  hours  from  Victoria,  so  that  Jose  can  go  down 
and  send  off  the  collections  by  an  English  steamer  which 
is  daily  expected.  And  also  I  think  that  it  would  be 
foolhardy  to  stay  anywhere  near  the  forest  while  these 
shocks  are  going  on.  To  ensure  the  boxes  being  in  time, 
I  made  a  night  march  and  reached  Bituti  about  midnight. 
This  is  a  filthy  little  village ;  it  would  be  difficult  to  find 
a  more  dirty  race  in  Africa  than  the  Bakwiri.  They  all 
live  together  with  their  pigs,  sheep,  and  goats.  These 
they  seldom  part  with,  since  they  keep  them  for  sacrificial 
rites.  When  a  chief  dies  pigs,  sheep,  &c,  are  killed  and 
placed  in  the  grave  of  the  dead  man.  The  numbers  vary 
according  to  the  importance  of  the  deceased ;  sometimes 
as  many  as  forty  are  killed.  A  funeral  of  a  chief  in  the 
neighbouring  village  took  place  the  next  day.  All  the 
people  of  Bituti  left,  the  majority  carrying   small  pigs. 

*  The  shocks  continued  on  and  off  till  May  11th. — Authob. 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST   JOURNEY  111 

Though  the  Governor  has  forbidden  these  sacrifices,  I 
feel  convinced  they  still  go  on,  for  in  the  evening  the 
people  returned  from  the  funeral  without  their  pigs  and 
sheep. 

April  28. — Jose  left  for  Victoria  to  await  the  steamer. 
I  shall  be  able  to  send  off  five  boxes  of  skins,  including 
the  island  collections  and  the  first  portion  of  the  Kamerun 
Mountain  collection.* 

Had  a  most  annoying  thing  happen  to-day.  The  man 
who  should  have  been  looking  after  the  remainder  of  the 
skins  drying,  left  for  some  reason  or  other.  In  the 
meantime,  one  of  the  numerous  pigs  roaming  about 
the  village  made  off  with  three  of  the  skins,  which  in- 
cluded a  specimen  of  the  rare  Francolin  which  I  obtained 
on  the  hill.  The  man  has  been  sad  ever  since,  for  I  fined 
him  £5.  As  for  the  pig,  I  hope  his  dose  of  arsenical  soap 
has  not  improved  his  interior. 

At  about  seven  in  the  evening  the  first  appearance  of 
fire  on  the  hill  was  visible,  a  rich  red  glow  on  the  east  side 
of  the  mountain.  This  must  be  the  larva  coming  down. 
It  put  the  finishing  stroke  to  the  general  panic  prevailing 
in  the  neighbourhood.  This  little  village  is  quite  close  to 
the  road  to  Victoria,  and  all  night  long  streams  of  terrified 
natives  carrying  on  their  backs  all  their  belongings,  and 
crying  out,  "  The  fire  is  coming  !  The  fire  is  coming!  " 
crowded  down  the  road.  At  Victoria  nothing  less  than  a 
panic  prevailed.     The  Government  ceased  to  exist ;  every 

*  Sad  to  tell ! — one  of  these  boxes  never  reached  England.  Boyd 
was  in  the  habit  of  using  his  empty  store  cases  for  sending  his  skins 
back  home,  and  in  this  instance  it  happened  to  be  an  ammunition 
box,  and  he  forgot  to  obliterate  the  word  "  explosives  "  upon  the  lid. 
It  was,  therefore,  not  allowed  in  the  hold  of  the  vessel,  but  was  kept 
on  deck,  and  owing  to  the  lightness  of  its  contents  it  was  washed 
overboard  in  a  storm. — Ed. 


112  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

official  had  left  either  for  Duala  or  for  a  steamer  lying  in 
the  harbour.  Thousands  of  natives,  with  their  boxes, 
spent  the  night  on  the  beach,  while  the  stronger  had 
taken  possession  of  all  the  boats. 

The  older  natives,  who  could  remember  a  former  erup- 
tion which  occurred  thirty-nine  years  ago,  showed  less 
anxiety. 

April  29. — Jose  arrived  back.  He  had  sent  the  boxes 
off  by  the  Axim,  which  came  in  yesterday.  Altogether, 
the  number  of  skins  sent  off  were  187  from  the  Mountain. 

May  1.— Keturned,  and  made  a  camp  near  Sopo.  The 
Commandant  of  the  barracks  just  below  this  place  has 
asked  me  not  to  go  to  the  hill  again  till  the  Governor, 
Herr  Hansen,  is  back. 

May  3. — We  have  instituted  football  amongst  the  men. 
Jose  has  just  got  a  ball  from  home.  The  men  play  un- 
commonly well,  and  show  much  spirit  in  the  game.  It 
is  a  capital  thing  for  them. 

May  4. — I  had  a  very  kind  letter  from  Mr.  Martens, 
asking  me  whether  I  would  like  to  accompany  him  and 
several  other  missionaries  to  the  burning  crater.  I  have 
accepted. 

Herr  Hansen  has  returned,  and  has  given  me  permission 
to  make  a  camp  above  Buea.  I  shall  leave  Jose  to  do  this 
in  my  absence. 

It  is  amusing,  but  all  the  natives  here  say  that  I  am 
responsible  for  the  earthquake ;  that  I  went  up  to  the 
Peak,  and  fired  my  gun  into  the  crater,  moving  to  wrath 
the  devil  that  dwells  therein !  This  devil,  in  their 
imagination,  is  half-man,  half-beast,  and  is  one-eyed,  and 
the  grass  upon  the  mountain's  sides  is  the  hair  that 
hangs  from  his  limbs. 


DIARY   OF  HIS   LAST   JOURNEY  113 

The  old  hunter  came  down  this  afternoon,  pulling 
a  very  long  face,  saying  that  the  chief  of  his  village  was 
"  making  palaver  for  him,"  because  he  had  helped  to 
rouse  the  devil  with  the  Englishman. 

I  have  already  described  this  hunter,  and  his  some- 
what evil  appearance  certainly  makes  the  tale  more 
picturesque. 

May  5. — Left  for  a  Bakwiri  village  called  Ekunolelu, 
where  we  shall  sleep  prior  to  ascending  the  hill  to  see 
the  crater.  Our  party  consists  of  four  missionaries — the 
Revs.  Martens,  Gutbrod,  Wahl,  and  Rodt ;  the  three 
latter  are  from  the  Basel  Mission.  I  must  say  these 
missionaries  are  true  explorers  at  heart,  and  they  seem 
to  know  more  about  the  country  and  the  people  than  all 
the  officials  put  together. 

The  Basel  Mission  has  something  like  150  boys. 

The  Government  gives  them  a  good  deal  of  power,  and 
I  fancy  it  looks  to  their  schools  for  teaching  the  rising 
generation  of  natives  the  German  language,  and  so 
gradually  rooting  out  the  pidgin  English.  It  is  really 
surprising  how  extensively  spoken  the  latter  is.  Our 
influence  before  the  German  occupation  of  the  country 
must  have  been  great.  During  the  first  two  hours  we 
passed  numerous  Bakwiri  villages,  and  after  that  the 
road  led  through  deep  forest.  It  was  a  via  dolorosa,  as 
it  passed  over  a  very  extensive  larva  bed.  We  arrived 
at  Ekunolelu  about  four  o'clock.  From  here  we  could 
see  a  great  volume  of  smoke  coming  up  from  the  crater. 
And  here  we  had  a  very  novel  experience,  that  of  having 
to  buy  water.  There  is  no  spring  water,  and  the  natives 
have  to  rely  entirely  on  the  rainfall,  which  they  catch  in 
pots  placed  under  the  eaves  of  their  houses.  All  the 
young  men  and  women  turned  out  to  sell  us  bottles  of 
water,  which  we  bought  at  the  rate  of  a  leaf  of  tobacco 

9 


114  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

or  a  penny  a  bottle.  Nearly  all  the  Bakwiri  towns  along 
this  road  live  under  the  same  waterless  conditions.  I 
might  describe  them  as  being  situated  on  the  first  eleva- 
tion above  the  low  land,  with  the  higher  slopes  of  the 
Mountain  behind  them.  There  is  not  a  doubt  that  these 
people  were  once  down  below,  but  owing  to  persecution 
were  driven  up  to  their  present  position.  I  do  not  think 
they  would  have  willingly  chosen  a  position  without  water. 

May  6. — We  made  an  early  start  before  light,  about 
four  o'clock.  For  one  and  a  half  hours  the  road  led 
through  forest,  debouching  at  length  on  to  the  grass 
portion  of  the  Mountain,  where  it  was  overgrown  at  first 
with  scrub.  Another  half-hour  brought  us  on  to  open 
grass-land,  broken  up  by  ridges,  and  here  and  there 
craters,  and  the  mounds  of  extinct  volcanoes.  We  were 
now  within  about  one  thousand  yards  of  the  eastern  edge 
of  the  Mountain,  and  the  general  direction  of  the  road 
was  three  hundred  degrees. 

About  a  mile  from  the  crater,  which  was  hidden  behind 
several  lofty  extinct  craters,  loud  crashing  reports  were 
heard  at  intervals,  followed  by  dense  volumes  of  smoke. 
A  feeling  of  eagerness  to  be  there  caught  hold  of  us,  and 
we  pressed  forward,  till  at  length,  on  gaining  the  summit 
of  a  high  mound,  we  came  within  full  view  of  the  two 
burning  craters  not  more  than  three  hundred  yards  away 
from  us. 

The  position  could  not  have  been  better  for  watching 
the  action  of  the  craters.  A  small  valley,  or  rather  an 
old  lava  bed  overgrown  here  and  there  with  a  few  scraggy 
bush  trees  and  not  more  than  two  hundred  and  fifty  yards 
in  width,  intervened. 

The  two  craters  are  situated  in  the  narrowest  portion 
of  the  valley.  On  the  left,  towards  the  north,  is  the  base 
of  a  range  of  extinct  craters  that  practically  runs  down 


DIARY  OF  HIS  LAST  JOURNEY 


115 


from  the  Peak.     On  the   right   is   the  wall   of   a   large 
extinct  crater,  now  grass-covered. 

The  larger  crater  was  at  this  time  not  more  than  thirty 
feet  in  height,  and  a  hollow  mound  of  black  cinder,  from 
the  top  of  which  dense  volumes  of  smoke  issued.  The 
scene  baffles  description.  Red-hot  stones  were  being 
belched  out,  immediately  followed  by  appalling  detona- 


0=-,  Extinct 
^-^    Crater 


tions,  like  the  roar  of  many  cannon  ;  then  more  volumes 
of  smoke  were  thrown  up,  and  stones  of  great  size  were 
hurled  into  the  air  till  they  became  mere  specks  in  the 
sky. 

But  the  small  crater  was  much  the  more  appalling  and 
vicious  of  the  two.  It  was  only  about  four  feet  in  height, 
looking  like  a  small  mound  encircling  the  front  of  an 
exaggerated  camp  oven.  There  was  scarcely  any  smoke, 
which  in  the  case  of   the  larger  crater  seemed  to  point 


116  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

to  its  having  less  force.  Masses  of  flames,  with  red-hot 
stones,  were  shooting  up,  accompanied  by  crashing 
reports.  It  was  just  as  if  hundreds  of  pieces  of  iron  were 
thrown  up  in  to  the  air  straight  from  a  blacksmith's 
furnace. 

We  managed  to  get  a  good  view  of  the  lava  stream  of 
the  big  crater  by  creeping  round  on  the  ridge  of  the 
extinct  crater  on  the  right.  A  scene  of  appalling  deso- 
lation met  our  eyes.  The  lava  bed,  which  was  some- 
thing like  seventy  yards  in  width  and  still  smoking,  had 
made  its  way  through  a  well-defined  valley,  and  according 
to  native  reports  had  reached  a  small  village  called  Lisoko, 
about  two  hours'  distance  from  the  crater.  Everything 
on  either  side  of  the  stream  had  been  scorched  and  burned 
to  death,  and  amid  the  desolation  trunks  and  limbs  of 
solitary  trees  stood  out  like  twisted  iron. 

I  took  twenty-eight  photographs  altogether,  which  I 
hope  will  turn  out  well.  We  could  not  have  had  a  better 
day ;  there  was  no  mist. 

After  some  cold  tea  and  slices  of  ham,  supplied  by  the 
missionaries,  we  left  again  for  Ekunolelu,  which  we 
reached  at  four  o'clock,  feeling  thirsty  and  exhausted. 
Bottles  of  water  were  quickly  bought,  and  as  quickly 
emptied,  regardless  of  colour.  On  the  way  down  we 
heard  the  crying  of  several  baby  chimpanzees.  They 
are  to  be  found  in  the  forest  on  the  south-eastern  ridge 
of  the  Mountain. 

May  7. — Left  for  Buea,  and  arrived  there  about 
ten  o'clock.  On  the  night  of  the  6th  several  severe 
shocks  were  felt  at  Buea.  We  did  not  feel  them  at 
Ekunolelu.  I  feel  certain  that  the  new  craters  are 
intimately  connected  with  the  Peak  and  the  portion  of 
the  Mountain  opposite  to  Buea. 

In  the  evening,  about  7.30,  the    bright  glow  of  fire 


DIARY   OF  HIS  LAST  JOURNEY  117 

lit  up  the  Mountain   to  the  north-east.     This  probably 
indicates  a  further  flow  of  lava. 

May  8. — Busy  all  day  writing  letters :  to  father,  to 
O.  M.,  and  to  Dr.  Keltie,  giving  him  a  description  of 
the  earthquake  and  the  approximate  position  of  the  two 
craters. 

May  9. — Shifted  our  camp  close  to  the  edge  of  the 
forest,  and  near  a  beautiful  clump  of  tree  ferns,  which 
at  once  lent  no  ordinary  aspect  to  our  camp.  Close  to 
the  clump  there  is  a  leaning  tree  with  shade-giving 
leaves.  Here  I  sit,  have  my  meals,  and  do  my  writing. 
To  the  south  there  is  always  a  fine  panoramic  view  to  be 
obtained,  the  whole  country  mapped  out  below  one,  and 
then  the  sea  beyond.  I  think  one  should  always  try  to 
choose  a  picturesque  spot  for  one's  camp,  it  tends  to 
stimulate  the  brain,  and  this  is  good  when  one  has 
writing  to  do.  My  chief  object  is  to  work  the  lowest 
portion  of  the  forest,  and  then  start  for  the  Manenguba 
range. 

May  10. — Busy  collecting.  Have  given  one  of  my 
collecting  guns  to  the  hunter,  as  he  knocks  small  birds 
all  to  pieces  with  the  12-bore. 

May  11. — The  hunter  brought  in  a  Trogon  and  a 
Smithomis,  which  he  found  on  the  east  side  of  the  hill. 
I  hope  these  will  be  new.  At  6.45  this  evening  there  is 
a  fire  effect  to  the  east.  This  is  probably  the  lava  of 
the  small  crater  coming  down. 

May  14. — Left  with  Jose  to  see  the  craters  again,  and 
with  the  object  of  making  a  route  sketch  so  as  to  fix  the 
position  of  the  craters. 

The  hunter,  with  gun  and  dog,  accompanied  me  as 
an  interpreter.     His  rig-out  for  the  occasion  was  won- 


118  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

derful — a  white  helmet  of  soldier  pattern,  a  white  coat 
with  brass  buttons,  trousers  of  chess-board  pattern, 
leggings,  and  boots  that  had  the  look  of  brown  paper. 
As  the  sun  got  up,  and  the  road  became  more  hilly,  he 
began  gradually  to  shed  his  fine  feathers  ;  first  his  leg- 
gings were  slung  to  the  muzzle  of  his  gun,  and  then  his 
coat  was  thrown  to  his  boy,  who  trotted  behind  him. 

Arrived  at  Ekunolelu  at  twelve  o'clock  in  drenching 
rain.  I  make  the  distance  from  Buea  just  ten  miles, 
which  agrees  very  well  with  existing  maps. 

May  15. — Made  an  early  start,  and  reached  the  burning 
crater  about  eleven  o'clock.  The  hunter  was  the  last  to 
come  up,  looking  disconsolate,  for  his  boots  had  suc- 
cumbed to  the  knife-like  stones  of  the  old  lava  beds 
over  which  we  had  to  pass.  "  Massa,  massa,  dem  boots 
done  finish  !  " 

I  made  the  distance  to  the  crater  from  Ekunolelu  four 
miles.  Towards  the  end  it  was  impossible  to  pace,  so  I 
had  to  judge  the  distance.  The  crater  had  assumed  much 
bigger  proportions,  as  can  be  seen  by  comparing  the 
photographs  which  were  taken  a  few  days  ago.  They 
were  taken  a  few  days  previous  to  my  last  visit  by 
Mr.  Kestler,  of  the  Basel  Mission.  He  very  kindly 
gave  me  these  two  copies.  The  crater  made  a  mag- 
nificent display,  and  having  gained  strength  the  stones 
thrown  up  were  of  enormous  size ;  masses  of  flame 
soared  up,  followed  by  terrific  reports.  The  height  must 
now  be  quite  sixty  feet  and  the  diameter  seventy  feet  to 
eighty  feet.  It  was  a  new  aspect  of  the  crater  to  see  that 
the  side  where  the  lava  had  flowed  had  broken  down,  and 
that  the  smaller  crater  had  practically  been  swallowed  up 
by  the  larger,  but  the  lava  of  the  former  had  gone  down 
in  a  different  direction,  showing  a  bearing  of  300  degrees. 

The  hunter  stood  for  a  while  dumb  at  the  sight,  with 


The  Crater  in   Eruption. 


The  Crater  after  Eruption,  showing  iiik  Lava  Stream. 


DIARY  OF  HIS  LAST  JOURNEY  119 

his  hand  covering  his  open  mouth ;  then  he  exclaimed, 
"  Massa,  dem  devul  shoot  plenty,  he  no  fit  tere  !  "  It  is 
wonderful  to  think  that  this  is  going  on  day  and  night 
without  intermission. 

We  tried  to  get  round  to  see  the  lava,  but  the  in- 
creased firing  range  of  the  crater  prevented  us.  However, 
we  got  so  close  that  red-hot  stones  fell  a  few  feet  from 
us.  It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  the  stones  were  red-hot 
when  they  left  the  crater,  yet  we  were  able  to  pick 
them  up  so  soon  as  they  touched  the  ground  ;  they  were 
only  just  warm.  The  material  of  the  stones  is  of  the 
nature  of  pumice,  and  no  doubt  this  accounts  for  its 
parting  with  the  heat  so  rapidly. 

After  lunch  I  took  another  set  of  photographs,  and 
then  we  left  and  gained  a  path  across  the  Mountain  to 
Bomakandi,  a  village  we  had  previously  passed  on  the 
road  to  Ekunolelu  and  about  two  hours  from  Buea. 

May  16. — Arrived  back  in  camp. 

May  17. — Left  for  Victoria  to  settle  up  things  finally 
with  the  Ambas  Bay  Company.  Took  with  me  another 
box  of  sixty-seven  skins  to  be  sent  off  by  the  next  English 
mail.  Before  leaving  I  wrote  to  Herr  Hansen,  saying 
that  I  had  fixed  the  position  of  the  new  crater  and  its 
approximate  height  by  aneroid,  and  asking  for  the 
honour  of  calling  it  the  Hansen  crater. 

May  18. — Settled  up  everything  at  Victoria  satisfac- 
torily, and  gave  over  the  box  of  skins  to  a  Mr.  Hewitt, 
an  assistant  in  the  Ambas  Company,  to  send  off  by  the 
Olenda,  which  is  expected  in  on  the  21st.  Also  <£3  to 
cover  expenses,  including  a  cable  to  Cranbrook  asking 
for  the  box  to  be  met.  Drew  from  the  Company  .£60 
odd  out  of  the  £100  which  the  bank  at  home  had  cabled 
to  the  bank  at  Lagos. 


120  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

On  my  arrival  in  camp  I  found  a  letter  from  Frau 
Hansen  asking  me  to  dinner  on  the  20th. 

May  19. — Busy  all  day  packing  up  loads,  as  I  intend 
to  leave  for  Albrechtshohe  (Kumba)  on  the  21st.  I  am 
getting  twenty- three  local  carriers  from  the  station-master 
here,  as  far  as  Kumba.  Rate,  6d.  per  day  and  Id.  chop 
money — a  great  improvement  on  our  exorbitant  tariff. 

May  20. — Dined  with  the  Hansens,  who  were  alone. 
The  earthquake  formed  a  great  topic  of  conversation. 
During  dinner  Frau  Hansen  brought  up  the  question  of 
my  proposing  a  name  for  the  new  crater,  opposing  with 
the  feeble  excuse  that  it  had  a  name  already,  the  Mier 
crater  (the  Mier  crater  is  quite  two  miles  from  the  new 
one ;  my  hunter  pointed  it  out  to  me  on  my  way  back 
to  Bomakandi).  This  showed  me  that,  if  there  were 
no  other  reason  for  their  attitude,  then  they  must  have 
been  ignorant  of  my  past  record.  In  response,  there- 
fore, I  told  them  casually  that  I  held  two  gold  medals 
for  my  work  in  Africa,  one  from  London  and  the  other 
from  Antwerp.  After  all,  it  was  not  a  very  big  thing 
to  have  asked,  and  my  desire  was  to  show  him  my 
appreciation  of  his  hospitality  and  kindness  to  me.  I 
am  certain  that  I  am  the  first  to  fix  the  position  and 
height  of  this  new  crater. 

May  21. — Left  Buea  at  8  a.m.  with  forty-three  carriers 
in  all,  the  column  numbering  forty-seven.  Before  leaving 
I  had  a  small  breakfast  at  Basel  Mission  and  many  kind 
words  of  farewell  from  them  on  departure. 

For  the  first  three  hours  the  road  passes  through 
nothing  but  cocoa  plantations.  A  six-hours'  march 
brought  us  to  our  first  stopping-place,  Muyuka,  the 
limit  in  this  direction  of  the  Bakwiri  people. 

Towards    evening    the    men    amused    themselves    in 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  121 

knocking  about  the  football,  much  to  the  delight  of 
the  natives,  who  entered  keenly  into  the  game.  I  am 
the  first  Englishman  to  be  seen  up  here. 

May  22. — Owing  to  the  sickness  of  the  Hausa  head- 
man I  was  obliged  to  stay  at  Malende,  two  and  a  half 
hours  from  Muyuka. 

May  23. — A  six  hours'  trek  brought  us  to  Ediki. 
Between  Ediki  and  Malende  and  right  on  to  Kumba 
the  forest  is  magnificent,  and  quite  some  of  the  finest 
timber  I  have  seen  in  Africa.  Unfortunately  the  country 
does  not  possess  a  navigable  river,  by  which  the  maho- 
gany could  be  floated  down  to  the  coast,  so  the  Germans 
will  have  to  depend  upon  the  railway. 

May  24. — Reached  the  station  in  three  hours.  The 
station-master  was  away  on  trek,  and  a  young  fellow, 
named  Schultz,  was  in  charge.  It  was  difficult  to  get 
things  arranged,  as  he  spoke  but  very  little  of  the  pidgin 
English.  The  station  itself  is  a  good  two  miles  from 
the  native  town  of  Kumba,  and  the  only  official  resi- 
dence is  on  a  height,  behind  which  one  looks  down 
upon  a  wonderful  crater-lake,  112  metres  in  depth. 
There  is  also  good  fish  in  it,  which  the  natives  catch 
from  canoes. 

We  made  our  camp  not  far  from  the  station  and  over- 
looking the  lake.  At  night  we  had  a  fine  sight  of  the 
burning  crater.  We  could  have  recorded  every  burst  by 
the  shooting  up  of  the  flames,  and  then  there  was  the 
long  even  glow  of  fire  which  showed  the  course  of 
the  lava. 

While  at  Muyuka  we  saw  it  very  well. 

Ali  Meshi  distinctly  bad  with  high  fever,  105°  and 
severe  pains  all  over  the  body.  I  do  not  think  it  can 
be  malaria. 


122  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

May  25. — Left  for  Kumba,  as  there  is  no  convenience 
here  for  getting  "chop"  for  the  men,  and  I  find  I  shall  have 
to  stay,  as  Ali  Meshi  is  still  sick ;  also  Herr  Schultz  has 
promised  to  let  me  have  twenty-three  men  in  two  days' 
time  to  take  me  to  Ninong,  near  the  Manenguba  Eange. 

Quinine  having  no  effect  upon  the  sick  man,  I  treated 
him  for  rheumatic  fever,  giving  him  salacin  ;  the  shot 
was  a  good  one ;  the  effect  of  the  drug  was  remarkable, 
and  by  the  evening  both  pains  and  fever  had  gone. 

May  26. — Ali  Meshi  convalescent. 

It  is  really  amusing  to  observe  the  love  the  Germans 
have  for  heavy  military  exactitude,  and  it  seems  not  only 
out  of  place  in  an  African  colony,  but  must  be  a  heavy 
drain  upon  the  Treasury. 

After  leaving  Ediki  a  great  part  of  the  road  is  in  deep 
cutting,  which  must  have  cost  a  prodigious  amount  of 
labour,  while  massive  bridges  of  mahogany  are  being 
constructed  over  all  the  streams.  If  this  is  to  save 
the  wayfarer  a  little  less  effort,  I  am  sure  he  will  not 
be  half  thankful  enough  for  it,  for,  having  arrived  at 
this  point,  another  small  rise  or  two  hardly  matters  to 
him.  From  a  traveller's  point  of  view  all  these  inno- 
vations are  perfect  eyesores.  As  a  traveller  myself,  I 
speak.  I  have  no  objection  to  the  ordinary  native 
clearing  of  the  path — that  is,  a  certain  space  on  each 
side  of  the  track  cleaned  and  "  brushed."  For  all  pur- 
poses it  is  quite  good  enough.  I  always  think  it  is 
delightful,  as  one  treks  along,  to  be  able  to  trace  the 
winding  of  the  native  track,  to  be  lost  to  view  perhaps 
fifty  yards  ahead  by  some  gentle  bend.  At  every  dirty 
little  village  sign-boards  in  "  copper-plate  "  lettering  are 
nailed  to  the  nearest  trees,  and  posts  are  placed  in  the 
villages  themselves,  thus  robbing  the  country  of  much 
of    its    primitive    picturesqueness.     It    irritates    me    in- 


Towards  the  Maxenguba  Range. 


One  or  the  Crater   Lakes  near   I'oai.a. 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  123 

tensely.  The  Germans  are  so  imbued  with  the  military 
instinct  that  they  cannot  shake  it  off  in  the  slightest 
degree ;  everything  is  done  to  impress  ;  and  this  military 
tendency  is  even  evident  in  their  business  arrangements. 
As  an  example,  the  House  of  the  Woerman  Line  at 
Victoria  is  a  perfect  palace  and  cost  over  £3,000  to 
build,  at  the  expense,  of  course,  of  the  shareholders. 
Was  it  justifiable?  "Victoria  is  not  an  important  place, 
and  I  think  I  am  right  when  I  say  not  more  than  two  of 
the  Company's  boats  call  at  Victoria  in  the  month. 

On  this  same  principle  the  colony  is  run.  When  any- 
thing is  done,  whether  it  is  a  building,  road,  or  sign-post, 
it  must  be  of  the  very  best,  and  done  in  the  most  impres- 
sive way.  This  is  all  very  well,  but  from  the  view  of 
finance  in  relation  to  the  colony  is  it  justifiable? 

May  27. — The  carriers  having  come  in  last  night,  we 
left  for  Etam,  a  small  village  of  not  more  than  ten  huts 
and  distant  five  hours  from  Kumba.  With  the  exception 
of  one  village,  about  one  hour  from  Kumba,  there  is  no 
other  till  Etam  is  reached.  Etam  is  a  miserable  place, 
and  we  had  to  send  out  to  a  neighbouring  village  for  the 
men's  "  chop." 

May  28. — Nguchi,  five  and  a  half  hours,  a  large 
scattered  town.  The  huts  now  are  round  and  well  built. 
We  arrived  about  two  o  clock,  just  in  time  to  get  my  tent 
up  before  a  very  heavy  storm  with  vivid  lightning  came 
on.  Below  Nguchi  the  forest  gives  way  to  forest  bush 
country,  and  from  itself  groups  of  wooded  cone- 
shaped  hill  are  visible.  Between  Etam  and  Nguchi  there 
are  no  villages,  but  there  are  the  remains  where 
several  large  ones  have  been  ;  probably  they  were 
destroyed  in  a  war  palaver.  Before  reaching  Nguchi 
one  passes  over  a  very  remarkable  river,  about  twelve 


124  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

feet  wide  and  very  deep,  the  water  pouring  down  a 
deep  cutting  the  whole  way  in  stone.  Near  the  town, 
and  close  to  the  road,  I  came  across  two  graves.  On 
each  were  piled  up,  to  a  height  of  about  four  feet,  large 
earthenware  pots,  three  deep,  so  as  to  form  a  square 
column,  and  this  was  encased  in  a  framework  of  sticks. 
On  the  various  projections  made  by  the  sticks  were  hung 
the  clothes  of  the  deceased,  while  a  concertina  and  an 
opened  umbrella  were  also  conspicuous  objects.  An  old 
tin  box  lay  on  the  ground  near  by,  while  both  graves  had 
a  small  heap  of  koko  which  must  have  been  put  there  not 
so  very  long  ago.  Both  of  these  primitive  monuments 
were  in  places  partially  hidden  by  the  decorative  leaf  of 
the  koko,  which  had  taken  root  and  sprung  from  former 
offerings.  Of  course  this  custom  of  placing  the  earthly 
goods  of  the  dead  upon  their  graves  is  pretty  general 
with  pagan  tribes  in  Africa,  but  I  do  not  think  I  have 
ever  seen  it  carried  to  such  an  extent  as  it  is  with  this 
tribe. 

May  29. — After  a  somewhat  tiring  march  of  six  hours 
we  reached  our  destination,  Ninong.  Many  villages  on 
the  road,  Ngombo  and  Muambong  being  the  largest.  The 
enclosed  country  has  now  given  way  to  undulating  and 
hilly  grass-land,  while  here  and  there  in  the  hollows  are 
little  clusters  of  trees.  Ninong  is  a  very  large  town,  and 
is  practically  at  the  foot  of  the  north-western  edge  of  the 
Manenguba  Range.  The  town,  like  most  of  the  towns 
here,  is  placed  amongst  trees  and  thin  wood,  which  pre- 
vents one  realising  at  once  its  extent,  while  it  gives  a 
picturesque  appearance  to  the  various  communities  of 
huts — in  fact,  I  might  describe  it  as  many  villages  within 
a  town. 

A  path  leading  through  a  patch  of  wood  will  suddenly 
bring  one  out  to  a  row  of  neatly-made  huts,  the  sloping 


DIARY   OF  HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  125 

ground  having  been  cut  away,  so  as  to  form  a  level  plat- 
form. The  cutting,  which  is  at  the  back  of  the  huts,  is 
sometimes  as  much  as  eight  feet  in  depth,  while  plantations 
of  plantain  and  beds  of  koko  all  help  to  add  variety  of 
colour  to  the  foliage.  The  chief  food  grown  here  is  the 
koko ;  small  square-shaped  beds  are  cultivated  on  the 
slopes  of  the  hills,  giving  to  their  sides  a  patchwork 
appearance.  The  people  are  well  made  and  clean  of 
limb  ;  they  are  simple  and  do  not  go  in  for  much  adorn- 
ment ;  coils  of  brass  wire  are  sometimes  worn  below  the 
knees.  A  few  of  the  older  women  paint  their  bodies 
with  a  red  dye  obtained  from  a  tree,  but  this  is  only  done 
on  occasions,  such  as  a  dance,  or  to  celebrate  the  birth  of 
a  child,  and  the  child  undergoes  the  same  treatment.  At 
Poala,  where  I  stayed  on  my  way  to  see  the  crater-lakes, 
I  saw  a  good  example  of  this.  A  mother,  all  red  from 
head  to  foot,  was  sitting  outside  her  hut,  and  a  baby 
about  four  weeks  old  was  being  painted.  It  was  quite 
piteous  to  hear  the  squeals  of  the  poor  little  thing  at  each 
daub  it  received.  The  head  was  already  thickly  coated, 
till  no  hair  was  visible,  while  a  flaring  red  mark  was 
drawn  across  the  forehead. 

The  people  here  seem  a  hard-working  lot.  During  the 
day  the  villages  have  a  deserted  aspect,  for  as  soon  as 
daylight  comes  the  greater  number  of  the  women 
may  be  seen  going  into  the  bush,  carrying  baskets  on 
their  backs  which  are  suspended  with  cord  from  their 
foreheads.  They  are  either  going  to  work  on  the  koko 
plantations  or  to  collect  wood,  which  they  have  to  get 
from  a  distance.  Towards  sundown  they  may  be  seen 
returning,  carrying  huge  stacks  of  wood  which  are  closely 
packed  in  upright  fashion  in  their  baskets. 

May  31. — Left  to  visit  the  lakes  on  the  hill  and  also  to 
make  collections.     Jose  was  unable  to  come  with  me,  as 


126  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

he  is  suffering  from  Guinea  worm.  A  good  two  and  a 
half  hours'  pull  over  the  hill  brought  us  to  Poala,  where  I 
decided  to  stay.  It  is  a  large  village  and  prettily  situated 
in  groves  and  clustering  of  trees.  The  people  showed 
themselves  very  friendly — in  fact,  too  much  so.  My  hut 
was  packed  to  suffocation.  Everything  I  had  came  in 
for  a  minute  inspection.  My  two  sparklet  bottles,  which 
are  nickle-plated,  were  passed  from  one  to  another,  and 
when  I  showed  my  12-bore,  and  how  the  ejector  worked, 
they  showed  their  approval  by  all  getting  up  and  shaking 
hands  with  me.  Tobacco  is  the  best  trade  goods  in  this 
country.  The  tobacco  which  one  buys  on  the  coast  is 
done  up  in  "heads,"  each  head  having  four  leaves.  For 
one  leaf  one  gets  two  eggs,  or  five  or  six  cobs  of  corn.  It 
is  seldom  one  finds  natives  in  Africa  not  growing  tobacco. 
Another  useful  article  is  a  diminutive  burnt  earthenware 
pipe,  the  cost  price  of  which  is  a  halfpenny.  For  one  of 
these  one  can  buy  an  egg. 

June  1. — Left  for  the  crater-lakes,  not  more  than  an 
hour's  walk  from  the  village.  They  are  close  to  one 
another,  and  are  called  "  Eddip "  by  the  natives,  or 
"  The  Two  Sisters."  The  larger  is  about  a  kilometre  in 
diameter,  the  smaller  about  half.  The  latter  is  almost 
an  emerald  green  in  colour.  Unlike  the  crater-lake  at 
Kumba,  the  sides  of  these  are  not  wooded  but  have  steep 
grass  slopes  reaching  the  water's  edge.  These  two  lakes 
lie  in  the  south-east  end  of  a  remarkable  natural  arena 
formed  by  picturesque  grass  hills,  300  to  400  feet  in 
height.  The  centre  is  quite  flat  and  covered  with  long 
grass  and  about  two  miles  in  diameter.  The  height  of 
the  lakes  is  6,300  feet. 

Two  days  were  quite  sufficient  for  working  the  grass- 
land, and  I  found  that  the  Saxicola  is  common  both  to  the 
Maneguba  and  the  Kamerun  Mountain. 


DIARY  OF  HIS  LAST  JOURNEY  127 

In  the  wood  about  the  village  I  met  again  with  the 
Nesocharis,  the  black  and  yellow  weaver,  the  Linurgus, 
and  Cinnyris  preussi. 

The  connection  between  the  Kamerun  Mountain  and 
the  Manenguba  is  slight,  but  it  probably  comes  from  the 
well-wooded  range  of  hills,  about  4,000  feet  in  height, 
about  two  miles  from  Ninong,  and  running  from  a 
south-west  direction  to  a  north-east  one. 

June  2,  3. — Stayed  at  Poala. 

June  4. — Left  for  Ninong,  and  found  on  my  arrival  Jose 
very  sick  ;  the  Guinea  worm  had  come  out  of  his  foot,  but 
for  the  last  two  days  he  had  had  a  high  fever,  103°  with 
severe  pains  in  his  body.  As  quinine  seemed  to  have  no 
effect  upon  the  temperature,  I  treated  him  for  rheumatic 
fever  with  salacin.  I  had,  as  the  Yankee  would  say, 
an  instantaneous  success.  The  next  day  he  was  con- 
valescent. In  the  evening  of  my  return  I  went  down 
with  an  attack  of  ague,  a  form  of  fever  I  have  never  had 
before.  I  think  the  mountain  mists  have  pretty  well  got 
into  my  bones,  and  I  shall  not  be  sorry  to  reach  lower 
altitudes. 

June  5. — Still  in  bed. 

June  6. — Convalescent. 

Had  occasion  to  flog  a  Mendie  to-day.  This  makes 
the  third  time,  and  it  has  always  been  a  Mendie. 
A  tight  hold  is  necessary  with  these  people,  who  are 
inclined  to  be  truculent.  Yesterday  they  complained 
they  had  not  enough  "  chop,"  and  they  threatened  to 
desert.  I  soon  brought  them  to  their  senses.  I  notice 
with  grave  concern  a  marked  deterioration  in  the  morale 
of  our  West  Coast  labourers.  We  possess  in  our  West 
African  colonies  some  of  the  finest  labour  in  Africa,  but 


128  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

we  are  rapidly  spoiling  them  through  over-pay.  It  is 
monstrous  to  think  that  the  native  is  being  paid  at  the 
same  rate  as  our  private  soldier  at  home !  A  labourer 
gets  Is.  a  day,  and  3d.  subsistence.  In  the  Cameroons 
the  Germans  possess  labour  almost  equal  to  our  own, 
and  yet  the  rate  of  pay  is  6d.  a  day  and  l|d.  for 
"  chop  "  allowance. 

I  have  with  me  some  twenty  picked  men  from  the 
Coast  (Mendies  and  Hausas).  They  grumble  at  the  least 
hardship.  They  cannot  live  on  the  food  of  the  country 
(which  after  all  is  their  own  "  chop  ")  for  a  single  day 
without  calling  out  for  rice.  Around  their  camp  fires  at 
night  they  are  always  talking  of  money  and  what  they 
will  do  with  it  when  they  get  back  to  the  coast. 
Altogether  it  is  very  deplorable. 

June  12. — Left  for  Mbo,  and  after  a  very  hilly  march 
of  two  and  a  quarter  hours  arrived  at  a  large  town  called 
Kuko.    Throughout  the  previous  night  incessant  rain  fell. 

June  14. — Arrived  small  town  called  Lumpa ;  good 
road  and  open  grass  country.  Have  decided  to  stay  here 
to-morrow  to  try  and  get  a  buffalo.  Towards  evening 
I  and  Jose  went  down  the  road  to  the  north,  and 
though  we  found  plenty  of  spoor,  we  failed  to  find  the 
animals. 

June  15. — Made  an  early  start,  and  though  our  guide 
took  us  to  some  very  likely  spots  we  had  no  luck.  The 
country  is  long  grass,  with  here  and  there  patches  of 
forest  growth — a  true  buffalo  locality. 

June  16. — Left  for  Nshenshu,  four  hours.  Here  is  a 
rest-house  situated  on  high  ground  from  which  one  has  a 
splendid  view  over  the  country  to  the  south ;  a  vast 
natural  arena  enclosed  by  picturesque  hills,  some  grass- 


DIARY  OF  HIS  LAST  JOURNEY  129 

covered,  others  clad  with  wood,  and  with  an  altitude  of 
about  4,000  feet.  The  south  is  shut  in  by  the  Manenguba 
Range,  and  near  it  is  the  Kupe  Mountain,  a  mixture  of 
forest  and  grass-land. 

June  17. — Jose  left  early  to  try  and  get  a  buffalo. 

While  sitting  on  my  bed  I  was  greeted  with  a  "  Good 
morning,"  and  the  next  moment  an  Englishman,  or 
rather  a  Scotchman,  entered  my  room.  His  name  is 
Alexander  McAllister  and  he  is  an  elephant-hunter  who 
has  killed  his  five  hundred  elephants.  He  has  seen  most 
of  the  globe,  and  can  tell  many  interesting  sporting 
adventures.  He  has  been  all  through  the  Logo  and 
Lugworet  country  in  the  Congo.  This  was  the  part  I 
was  anxious  to  have  gone  through.  He  was  near  Gondo- 
koro  when  I  arrived  on  the  Nile  at  the  end  of  1906. 

Jose  returned  having  seen  no  buffalo.  These  animals 
seem  extraordinarily  difficult  to  find,  though  one  sees 
plenty  of  spoor.  I  think  that  this  should  be  a  new 
species,  a  link  between  the  Congo  and  the  Northern 
forms. 

It  is  a  small  animal ;  the  cows  are  red  and  the  old 
bulls  are  black.  It  seems  of  very  local  distribution,  only 
being  found  in  the  valley  and  about  Bare  to  the  south. 
There  are  also  a  few  elephants  here.  It  is  curious,  but 
buffalo  always  follow  the  track  of  elephant.  McAllister 
bitterly  complains  of  ever  having  come  here.  It  is  a 
wretched  country  for  game  and  the  last  place  for  the 
sportsman.  He  killed  a  kob  somewhere  near  Jang, 
and  describes  it  as  different  from  the  ordinary  species. 
It  has  some  white  spots  on  its  back.  He  is  also  of  the 
opinion  that  the  leopard  here  is  distinct — a  much  smaller 
species  and  very  dark  in  colour. 

Last  night  two  natives  were  killed  by  an  elephant  not 
far  from  where  McAllister  is  living  and  about  three  hours 

10 


130  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

from  here.  This  aggressive  trait  in  the  character  of  the 
elephant  is  quite  new  to  me.  His  method  of  killing 
his  victim  is  quite  admirable ;  the  man  is  taken  up  in 
his  trunk  and  dashed  to  the  ground,  and  then  the 
elephant  stamps  on  him. 

June  18. — Determined  to  make  one  more  effort  to  get 
a  buffalo,  so  left  before  daybreak  and  joined  McAllister 
at  the  village  where  he  is  stopping,  about  three  hours 
from  here.  We  all  started  off  and  eventually  reached 
some  marshy  ground  through  which  a  river  runs. 
Flocks  of  whistling  teal  and  spur-winged  geese  were 
there.  Numerous  spoor  also  showed  it  to  be  a  favourite 
haunt  for  buffalo,  but  my  luck  was  again  out  and  there 
was  no  other  sign  of  them. 

The  soil  here  is  very  rich  and  produces  some  very  fine 
corn ;  two  crops  are  taken  in  the  year.  The  food  is 
expensive — 2d.  for  a  bunch  of  plantains.  There  is  an 
enormous  amount  of  palm-oil  and  kernels  here.  It  will 
be  a  rich  source  of  revenue  to  the  Germans  when  the 
railway  is  completed. 

There  is  a  good  supply  of  marketable  labour  here, 
especially  of  women,  who  are  excellent  workers.  The 
men  do  nothing  except  sit  in  their  huts  all  day,  unless 
hauled  out  of  them  by  the  white  man  for  work.  As  soon 
as  it  is  daylight  the  women  may  be  seen  leaving  the 
villages  for  the  farms  and  returning  at  dusk  with  heavy 
loads  of  wood  or  "  chop  "  *  on  their  backs. 

June  19. — Left  for  Mbo ;  a  hilly  road ;  the  valleys 
and  ravines  were  for  the  first  part  of  the  journey  thickly 
wooded  and  full  of  palm-trees.  Arrived  at  the  post  after 
a  three  hours'  trek.  On  the  way  we  met  a  German  trader 
coming  down  with  over  ninety  head  of  very  fine  cows 
*  Term  used  everywhere  in  West  Africa  for  food. — Ed. 


DIARY  OF  HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  131 

which  he  got  from  the  Marua  country.  This  must  be  a 
paying  business.  On  the  coast  a  cow  fetches  £1 ;  the 
average  up-country  price  is  £2  10s. 

The  altitude  of  Mbo  is  2,500  metres ;  it  is  full  of  mist 
and  very  cold.  It  is  in  charge  of  a  sergeant,  a  very 
superior  and  intelligent  man. 

June  20. — For  the  first  two  hours  after  leaving  Mbo 
the  scenery  is  very  peculiar.  The  hills  and  valleys  are 
clothed  with  trees,  every  branch  of  which  is  thickly 
coated  with  moss  ;  one  feels  they  must  be  almost  suffo- 
cated. Even  the  path  is  overgrown  with  moss,  save  the 
track  itself,  which  is  worn  by  passing  feet. 

At  length  one  emerges  into  a  wonderful  expanse  of 
steep,  down-like  hills,  all  grass-land  of  an  emerald  green 
that  sink  into  deep  folds  and  valleys.  Here  one  often 
sees  the  rise  of  rivers,  columns  of  water,  like  silver 
streaks,  pouring  out  of  the  very  bowels  of  the  hills. 
The  road  now  becomes  very  winding,  being  cut  out  of 
the  sides  of  the  hills,  and  following  their  contours.  On 
one  side  one  looks  up  to  steep  grass-covered  slopes,  on 
the  other  down  into  deep  valleys,  the  lowest  level  of 
which  is  outlined  by  thick  belts  of  feathery  palm-trees. 

A  march  of  three  and  a  half  hours  brought  us  to  the 
first  rest-house. 

Small  but  very  good  potatoes  are  grown  at  places  for 
the  benefit  of  white  men.  They  are  a  great  boon  after 
the  somewhat  sickly  sweet  potatoes.  The  labourers' 
"chop"  consists  of  corn,  plantain,  and  sweet  potato, 
and  l£d.  is  the  "chop"  rate  per  man  per  day. 

June  21. — Left  for  Jang,  and  arrived  there  in  four 
hours.  This  is  a  large  post,  with  something  like  six 
white  men  and  forty  soldiers.  There  is  also  a  large 
Hausa  settlement.     The  people  here  are  the  Bamilleki, 


132  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

a  large  tribe,  the  name  meaning  "people  of  the  grass- 
land." This  describes  the  country  well ;  there  is  nothing 
but  grass  now.  This  tribe  are  well  built  and  strong  and 
very  black ;  the  forehead  and  temples  are  shaved,  but  at 
the  back  of  the  head  a  matted  mass  of  close-twisted 
ringlets  hangs  down.  Their  ju-ju  is  peculiar.  At  the 
entrance  of  their  towns  are  built  small  square  huts, 
generally  encasing  a  tree,  and  in  them  are  put  a  number 
of  large  stones.  Jang  is  only  a  small  district,  but  it 
has  a  large  population — some  fifty  thousand.  The  interior 
now  is  becoming  very  thickly  populated  and  cultivated. 
The  sides  of  the  grass-hills  are  squared  and  chequered 
with  plots  of  the  koko  and  sweet  potato.  Since  the 
Germans  have  put  a  tax  on  every  working  man  (6s.  for 
the  year  near  the  coast  and  4s.  in  the  interior)  it  must 
bring  in  a  good  source  of  revenue.  Besides  this  tax, 
each  chief  in  rotation  has  to  supply  to  the  post  a  certain 
number  of  labourers  for  a  month.  These  after  completing 
their  work  are  not  called  upon  to  pay  the  tax.  Every 
chief  gets  10  per  cent,  of  the  money  collected  from  his 
people. 

I  have  decided  not  to  go  to  Yola  now ;  it  will  take  too 
much  time ;  instead  I  shall  make  for  Ibi  by  Bamenda, 
distant  from  Jang  four  days.  Bamenda  to  Kentu  four 
days,  Kentu  to  Takum  two  days,  Takum  by  Wukari  to 
Ibi  three  days. 

June  22. — Left  for  Bamenda ;  arrived  first  rest-house 
in  three  and  a  half  hours.  The  rainy  season  is  now  on 
the  point  of  commencing.  There  was  very  heavy  rain 
yesterday  evening. 

June  23. — Second  rest-house,  five  hours.  The  road  in 
places  much  overgrown  and  quite  deserted.  The  only 
three  men  I  saw,  on  catching  sight  of  me,  rushed  like 


DIARY   OF  HIS  LAST  JOURNEY  133 

madmen  into  the  long  grass.     Spears  are  now  carried 
by  the  natives. 

June  24. — Third  rest-house,  four  hours  ten  minutes. 

The  country  now  is  a  wonderful  display  of  rolling 
grass-covered  hills  whose  re-entrant  angles  are  thickly 
wooded.  It  is  also  a  land  of  waterfalls  ;  I  passed  no  less 
than  three  to-day — great  volumes  of  water  pouring  out  of 
the  hill-sides  down  into  the  deep  ravines  below. 

June  25. — Reached  Bamenda  in  three  hours.  A  large 
station,  in  the  throes  of  being  repaired  ;  consequently  the 
acting  Commandant,  Herr  Adametza,  was  unable  to  give 
me  shelter,  but  he  came  with  me  to  a  Herr  Menzel,  who 
has  a  store  and  outhouses  about  ten  minutes  from  the 
station.  The  latter  at  once  gave  me  a  large  building, 
which  he  had  just  built,  for  myself  and  my  men. 

How  small  Africa  is !  The  first  man  to  come  up  and 
salute  me  was  the  corporal  of  the  escort  I  had  from 
Maifoni  to  Lake  Chad,  Garuba  Kukawa,  a  Kanuri.  He 
was  in  the  service  of  the  store  man  as  horse-boy  at  a 
monthly  wage  of  8s.,  rather  a  come-down  after  his  80s.  a 
month  !  After  leaving  the  force  he  went  from  Yola  into 
the  Cameroons  with  30s.  in  his  pocket  in  the  hope  of 
picking  up  a  means  of  livelihood.  There  is  a  large  settle- 
ment of  Hausa  and  Kanuri  at  Bamenda,  and  at  other 
places  as  well. 

I  think  Garuba  Kukawa  will  be  very  useful  to  me  as  he 
has  already  been  to  Wadai ;  he  seems  confident  of  being 
able  to  take  me  there  by  a  road  which  will  avoid  both 
the  German  and  French  posts.  This  road  crosses  the 
Shari  to  the  north  of  Gulfei.  When  we  reach  Ibi  he 
will  go  with  Jose  to  Kano  to  buy  camels. 

Very  heavy  rain  this  afternoon  about  three  o'clock. 
This  occurs  every  day  now.     Bamenda  is  surrounded  by 


134  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

high   grass-covered   hills,  especially  on   the   north-west, 
and  running  to  a  height  of  4,500  feet. 

June  26. — Stayed  Bamenda.  Gave  my  little  cat  to 
Menzel,  who  has  several  and  seems  fond  of  them.  I 
should  sooner  or  later  have  had  to  give  it  away,  and 
with  him  I  think  it  has  a  good  home. 

June  27. — Left  Bamenda  and  reached  Bambili,  a 
scattered  town  in  a  patch  of  forest.  The  people  here 
do  not  trouble  themselves  much  about  clothing,  the 
young  girls  and  women  go  naked.  A  few  of  the  older 
ones  wear  a  diminutive  curtain  of  native-made  cords, 
the  end  of  each  being  hung  with  a  cowrie  shell. 
Cowrie  shells  are  liked  here,  as  well  as  beads  blue  and 
white  and  of  a  large  size.  Towards  evening  there  was 
a  picturesque  native  bush-market  in  a  clearing  in  the 
forest  just  off  the  road  and  not  far  from  the  king's 
house.  It  was  composed  entirely  of  men  and  boys, 
who  must  have  numbered  when  the  market  was  in 
full  swing  something  like  two  hundred.  The  bodies  of 
nearly  all  were  stained  a  dark  cutch  *  colour,  and  so 
were  their  clothes,  and  the  effect  in  the  waning  light 
appeared  from  a  distance  like  a  confused  reddish  blurr, 
against  the  dark  foliage  of  the  background.  The  men 
came  from  all  directions,  bringing  with  them  their 
produce  in  grass-woven  bags.  There  were  rows  of  large 
gourds  full  of  palm-oil,  and  these  presented  an  impos- 
ing array,  with  their  owners  squatting  behind  them. 
There  was  much  bush  meat  too,  small  red  antelopes 
and  the  headless  body  of  a  bush  buck.  With  some  of 
it  putrefaction  had  set  in,  making  that  part  of  the 
market   unbearable.     Small   fowls   were   also    there   for 

*  The  red-brown  dye  from  an  Australian  bark  that  is  used  for 
tanning  the  sails  of  fishing-boats. — Ed. 


DIARY   OF  HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  135 

sale.  Several  men  pandered  to  the  taste  for  the  adorn- 
ment of  the  body,  and  on  pieces  of  banana  leaf  there 
were  for  this  purpose  neat  little  heaps  of  red  dye, 
mixed  with  mud.  Many  of  the  men  had  slung  on 
one  arm  a  rough-sewn  bag  made  of  the  skin  of  bush- 
cats  and  containing  their  small  needs  for  the  road, 
such  as  cowrie  shells.  I  bought  no  less  than  four  of 
these  bags,  each  skin  belonging  to  a  different  species 
of  bush-cat.  These  purchases  were  greeted  with  roars 
of  laughter,  not  born  of  ridicule,  but  rather  of  surprise 
that  the  white  man  should  bother  his  head  about  such 
small  matters.  Outside  the  market  ring  the  gambling 
element  had  congregated.  Groups  of  young  men  and 
boys  were  playing  a  form  of  dice  with  cowrie  shells,  a 
sight  that  reminded  me  irresistibly  of  a  race  meeting 
at  home.  Suddenly  the  babble  of  the  market  stopped. 
I  thought  something  serious  had  happened  for  black- 
men  to  cease  so  suddenly  their  talk,  but  it  was  only 
because  the  "  king  of  the  market  "  was  haranguing  them, 
and  the  gist  of  his  speech  was  that  it  was  bad  to 
bring  bush  meat  into  the  markets  with  the  heads  cut 
off  since  the  big  Englishman  said  it  spoilt  the  skin. 
Then  the  talk  resumed  stronger  than  ever  till  darkness 
fell,  when  the  market  began  to  melt  away,  both 
buyers  and  sellers  dispersing  in  all  directions. 

The  houses  here  are  very  large,  square-shaped  and 
built  of  red  clay  and  bamboo,  and  from  eighteen  to 
twenty  feet  in  height,  with  thick  thatched  roofs.  Each 
is  practically  a  house  within  a  house,  for  between  the 
inner  dwelling  and  the  outer  wall  there  is  a  narrow 
passage  all  round.     They  are  almost  pitch  dark. 

June  28. — Arrived  Babenki,  three  hours.  On  the 
way  we  met  the  Commandant  of  Bamenda  returning 
from    a    bush    tour  with    ragged   soldiers   and   a   great 


136  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

train  of  followers,  while  prisoners,  quite  decrepit  old 
men  looking  more  like  scarecrows  than  anything  else, 
were  being  shoved  along  by  the  soldiers.  He  did  not 
impress  me.  When  I  told  him  I  was  going  to  Ibi  by 
Kentu  he  struck  in  by  saying  I  could  not  take  into 
English  country  German  carriers  without  paying  £5 
a  head  for  them.  He  thought  it  a  poser,  no  doubt, 
but  my  reply  was  that  I  had  my  own  men !  Here  is 
another  example  of  the  wisdom  of  having  one's  own 
followers  on  an  expedition  of  this  kind. 

June  29. — Arrived  rest-house ;  very  hilly  road,  six 
hours. 

June  30. — Beached  Babukon  after  a  most  trying 
march  of  six  hours  over  very  hilly  country.  This  road 
is  hardly  fit  for  transport.  The  whole  country  is  a 
mass  of  steep,  rolling  downs  of  green  grass  which  is 
most  delicious  and  pleasing  to  the  eye.  It  might  well 
be  called  the  Emerald  Land. 

July  1. — Made  an  early  start  with  the  idea  of  reaching 
Bafum-bum.  For  the  first  two  hours  the  hills  made 
travelling  difficult.  Then  we  descended  into  a  broad 
valley  with  the  road  practically  level.  Two  and  a  half 
hours  brought  me  to  the  small  village  of  Babuchang. 
On  passing  through  it  the  chief  would  insist  upon  my 
stopping  and  refreshing  myself  with  "  Mimbi,"  *  then 
he  brought  out  some  corn  cobs.  I  took  one  for  the 
road,  but  he  begged  that  I  should  put  another  into 
my  pocket. 

Within    about    two    hours   of    Bafum-bum    the  hills 

break  up  into  small  ranges  of  rolling  kopjes.     Altogether 

I  took  seven  hours'  actual  walking  to  reach  the  town, 

too  long  a  trek  in   the  rainy  season.     It  was  past  four 

*  Palm  wine.— Ed. 


DIARY  OF  HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  137 

o'clock  before  all  the  carriers  came  in,  and  they  had  to 
march  through  heavy  rain.  The  king,  who  rules  a 
big  country,  "  dashed "  me  well,  giving  me  ample 
"  fu-f u  "  *  for  the  men,   as  well  as  a  sheep. 

July  2. — Stayed  Bafum-bum. 

Another  attempted  mutiny  on  the  part  of  the  Mendies. 
It  appears  that  the  Mendie  headman  went  to  the  Hausa 
headman  and  said  his  men  were  ready  to  refuse  to  go 
on  if  he  would  get  his  to  do  the  same.  Luckily  the 
latter  refused  and  reported  the  matter. 

July  3. — Reached  Dumba  in  five  and  a  half  hours ; 
the  road  in  places  much  overgrown ;  with  the  dew 
on  the  grass  it  is  like  being  in  a  cold  bath  the  whole 
time.  About  two  days  to  the  north  of  this  place  there 
are  a  great  many  buffalo. 

July  4. — Made  a  bush  camp  four  and  a  half  hours 
from  Dumba.  The  hills  are  gradually  disappearing,  but 
they  are  as  green  as  ever.  Narrow  belts  of  trees  wind 
serpent-like  down  their  sides,  following  the  course  of 
their  hollows. 

July  5. — Arrived  Kentu  in  four  hours.  This  is  a 
small  German  station  made  about  six  months  ago.  It 
lies  low,  the  land  descending  very  abruptly  to  it.  On 
the  hill  above  it  the  path  was  strewn  with  lots  of  mica. 
Before  reaching  the  station  one  passes  through  a 
Hausa  settlement.  These  people  collect  rubber.  The 
clerk  of  a  small  trading  store  here  tells  me  that  he 
takes  in  the  wet  season  about  two  thousand  kilo  of 
rubber,  but  this  amount  falls  down  to  two  hundred  and 
fifty  in  the  dry  time.  Unfortunately  I  found  the  white 
man  away  on  tour,  so  could  do  nothing  in  regard  to 
getting  carriers,  and  I  had  to  leave  nine  loads  with 
*  A  mesa  of  cassava  and  yams. — Ed. 


138  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

the  clerk,  and  I  shall  have  to  send  back  for  them  from 
Giddan  Sama. 

July  6. — Left  for  Giddan  Sama,  a  most  trying  march 
of  eight  hours,  but  failed  to  reach  the  town,  owing  to 
my  guide,  Garuba,  taking  the  wrong  path,  which 
brought  me  to  a  small  town  called  Gargai,  and  out  of 
the  Giddan  Sama  road.  Thoroughly  tired  out,  we 
made  shift  for  the  night  in  some  wretched  tumble- 
down hovels. 

With  the  exception  of  distant  groups  of  hills,  the 
country  is  quite  level,  and  covered  with  the  familiar 
bush  forest,  which  is  thick  in  certain  places. 

July  7. — A  march  of  two  hours  brought  us  to  Giddan 
Sama,  where  we  were  warmly  welcomed  by  the  Hausa 
chief  and  his  men,  and  with  that  polite  deference  which 
at  once  raises  the  Hausa  above  many  of  his  fellow 
natives.  This  is  a  small  town,  and  all  Hausa,  and  it 
is  not  far  off  the  Donga  Eiver,  which  below  the  town 
is  a  good  150  yards  in  width  and  runs  with  a  swift 
current.  There  are  some  rapids,  but  I  think  in  the 
height  of  the  rains  they  would  be  covered.  The  day 
has  been  very  close  and  muggy,  which  makes  me  feel 
limp  after  the  very  bracing  climate  we  have  just  left 
behind. 

In  the  evening  there  was  a  glorious  roseate  sunset. 
Such  sunsets  by  no  means  mark  the  close  of  every  day 
in  Africa,  neither  do  they  bear  out  the  old  saying, 
"  red  at  night  is  the  shepherd's  delight,"  for  during 
the  night  and  the  greater  part  of  the  next  morning 
there  was  much  rain.  The  sky  effects  are  not  easy  to 
describe.  When  the  sun  dipped  below  the  horizon,  a 
broad,  rosy  band  of  light  suffused  the  sky.  Above  and 
lying  in  sharp  contrast  were  billowing  banks  of  mauve- 


DIARY   OF  HIS  LAST  JOURNEY  139 

coloured  clouds  which  stretched  to  right  and  left  as 
far  as  the  sun's  glow.  Then  higher  up  the  sky  was  of 
the  faintest  blue.  A  sunset  like  this  is  enhanced  by 
the  brief  twilight,  which  tends  to  deepen  the  colours 
with  such  dramatic  suddenness  before  one's  gaze  that 
they  combine  both  a  wrathful  and  peaceful  effect. 

July  8. — Stayed  Giddan  Sama,  and  sent  some  of  the 
men  back  to  Kentu.     Jose  is  down  with  fever. 

July  9. — Went  out  early  this  morning  to  try  and  get 
some  meat,  but  it  is  a  gameless  country ;  only  a  few 
kob  are  to  be  found.  Tramped  for  several  hours  and 
saw  nothing,  although  in  a  country  one  would  think 
teemed  with  game,  for  there  were  tracts  of  bush  forest 
with  excellent  short  and  tender  grass ;  but  all  was 
silent  as  the  grave.  Here  and  there  trees  with  all  their 
branches  blackened  by  former  bush  fires  would  stand 
less  thick,  so  that  they  formed  open  glades. 

July  10. — Prepared  for  a  start,  but  at  the  last  moment 
the  carriers  whom  the  king  promised  to  give  me  were 
not  forthcoming.  He  had  already  sent  a  messenger  to 
Ido,  a  bush  village  on  a  hill  about  one  hour's  journey 
from  Sama.  I  always  have  a  distrust  of  people  who 
make  their  homes  upon  the  sides  of  almost  inacces- 
sible hills;  they  either  fear  or  wish  to  avoid  the  white 
man's  burden. 

The  king  sent  yet  another  messenger,  and  Jose  fol- 
lowed with  several  of  my  men.  His  arrival  was  a 
signal  for  a  general  exodus,  the  men  refusing  to  come 
in,  and  hiding  away  in  the  numerous  caves  on  the 
hill-side.  After  much  hunting  and  climbing  about  the 
rocks  Jose  eventually  discovered  the  chief  of  the  village 
in  a  cave  and  captured  him  ;  but  not  before  he  attempted 


140  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

to  spear  one  of  my  men,  so  several  shots  were  neces- 
sary. Jose  brought  the  chief  in,  with  the  eight  men 
required.  I  "palavered"  him  well,  and  in  answer  to 
my  question  why  he  refused  to  give  me  the  men,  he 
replied  that  he  had  no  power  over  his  men.  All  non- 
sense, of  course,  so  my  retort  was  that  a  chief  who  was 
strong  enough  to  spear  one  of  my  men  was  strong 
enough  to  rule  his  people. 

July  11. — Before  leaving  for  Takum  the  king  of  Gid- 
dan  Sama  complained  to  me  of  his  treatment  by  the 
Germans,  who  make  this  one  of  their  stopping-places 
on  their  tours.  Only  a  few  days  before  I  came  the 
white  man  from  Kentu  had  stayed  for  three  days  with 
a  following  of  something  like  fifty  men.  He  forced  the 
chief  to  feed  his  men  and  then  went  away  without 
paying  him,  and  also  taking  with  him  three  of  the  men 
of  Sama,  who  never  returned.  This  had  frequently 
happened,  with  the  result  that  the  village  has  a  most 
deserted  aspect ;  either  the  people  have  been  taken  on 
previous  occasions  or  have  run  away,  fearing  to  be  cap- 
tured. Women  have  also  been  taken.  The  poor  king 
(really  a  charming  old  man  with  a  personality)  now 
sits  under  his  sun-shelter  in  the  market  square,  a  lonely 
and  disconsolate  figure  surrounded  by  three  or  four 
headmen,  whom  the  Germans  dare  not  lay  their  hands 
upon,  while  on  every  hand  the  huts  are  deserted.  I 
asked  him  whether  the  Commandant  of  the  Boundary 
Commission,  when  he  was  here  some  months  ago,  had 
told  him  that  his  town  was  English.  It  was  quite 
pitiful  to  see  him  throw  up  his  hands  towards  Ger- 
man country,  and  then  towards  ours,  saying,  that  the 
white  man  in  passing  said,  "  Lakka  German "  (over 
there  is  German),  "Lakka  English,"  but  he  was  never 
told  on  which  side  his  town  lay.     He  was  quite  relieved 


DIARY    OF   HIS   LAST   JOURNEY  141 

when  I   settled   his    doubt    and   told   him  I  should  put 
his  complaints  before  the  Resident  at  Ibi. 

Made  an  early  start  and  reached  a  Hausa  bush  camp, 
four  hours  on  the  road.  To-morrow  we  shall  be  at 
Takum. 

July  12. — After  a  tiring  march  of  six  hours  we  reached 
Takum.  This  is  where  Jose  collected  for  a  week  in 
1904,  while  our  expedition  was  at  Ibi.  The  king,  who 
is  a  Jukun,  is  big  in  every  sense  of  the  word,  of 
portly  presence.  He  came  to  greet  me  with  a  large 
retinue.  It  was  not  long  before  a  legion  of  women 
arrived  to  clean  the  open  space  in  front  of  my  house, 
and  wood  and  water  were  brought  for  the  cook.  Then 
a  number  of  calabashes  of  "  fu-fu  "  arrived  for  the  men, 
quite  a  three  days'  subsistence.  All  this  is  in  striking 
contrast  to  the  way  one  is  treated  in  German  country, 
where  the  system  is  one  of  coercion.  Though  at  times 
we  are  too  lenient  with  the  natives,  yet,  taking  them 
all  together,  our  methods  give,  in  the  long  run,  dis- 
tinctly the  more  pleasing  results.  I  feel  convinced  that 
by  our  kinder  methods  we  have,  so  to  speak,  begun  to 
glide  into  the  native  life ;  in  fact,  they  look  upon  us 
as  part  of  themselves. 

Soon  after  the  king  left  the  Mallam,  with  his  fol- 
lowing, including  the  "  king  of  the  market,"  came  to 
pay  their  respects.  The  Mallam,  an  old  man,  in  flow- 
ing Hausa  robe  and  white  turban,  was  an  impressive 
figure,  and  I  felt  I  was  in  the  presence  of  a  holy  man. 
He  greeted  me  with  that  beautiful  Hausa  word,  Mar- 
raba,  which  means  "  Welcome,  stranger  from  a  far  land." 
This  is  the  second  time  I  have  heard  the  word  used ; 
the  first  time  was  by  the  Emir  of  Bautchi,  when  I 
was  there  in  1904.  Hausa  is  a  beautiful  language, 
particularly   because   of    its   simplicity   of   construction. 


142  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

Another  pretty  word  is  ?nadalla,  which  is  used  as 
an  expression  of  thanks  when  any  welcome  relief  has 
been  given.  For  example,  when  at  the  end  of  a  long 
day's  march  the  welcome  sight  of  the  village  meets 
the  gaze  of  the  tired  traveller,  the  word  madalla  might 
readily  escape  his  lips. 

Takum  is  a  large  town  that  was  once  walled ;  but 
now  the  broken-down  walls  are  replaced  by  a  peaceful 
zana  matting  round  the  groups  of  houses,  an  eloquent 
sign  of  the  white  man's  rule. 

Towards  evening  I  went  down  to  the  market,  which 
is  a  large  one.  In  one  spot  were  a  knot  of  market 
loiterers  looking  on  at  a  man  driving  his  trade,  cut- 
ting patterns  on  the  arm  of  a  woman.  Behind  him 
was  a  man  vigorously  beating  a  drum,  and  near  by 
another  who  cried  out  in  hoarse  tones,  exhorting  the 
woman  to  be  brave.  I  caused  great  amusement  by 
asking  the  man  to  make  a  pattern  on  my  arm.  Fear- 
ing some  ill  consequence,  he  flatly  refused  at  first,  but 
the  offer  of  a  good  "  dash  "  made  him  take  on  the  task, 
so  I  sat  down  and  bared  my  arm,  amid  much  merri- 
ment and  excitement.  The  drum  was  beaten  louder 
than  ever,  but  the  man  who  exhorted  remained  silent, 
saying,  "  The  white  man  is  always  brave."  The  pro- 
cess lasted  some  ten  minutes,  and  the  pattern  when 
finished  was  in  the  form  of  a  Z,  made  by  numerous 
small  upright  incisions.  Then  a  liquid  mixture  of 
pounded  charcoal  and  butter  was  rubbed  into  the  cuts, 
and  this  had  the  effect  of  stopping  the  bleeding  at  once. 

July  13. — With  ten  carriers  given  to  me  at  Takum, 
we  reached  a  village  called  Giddan  Adamu  in  two  and 
a  half  hours.  On  the  march  it  is  my  wont  to  get  on  in 
front,  and  I  generally  arrive  at  my  destination  about 
one  and  a  half  hours  before  the  carriers.      It   was   so 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST   JOURNEY  143 

to-day,  and  after  a  fatiguing  march  I  had  just  reached 
Chinchingi,  when  a  native  arrived  in  hot  haste  from 
Jose,  saying  that  at  Giddan  Adamu  several  of  the 
Takum  men  had  run  away ;  so  I  had  to  trudge  all  the 
way  back,  altogether  a  continuous  trek  of  eight  and  a 
half  hours.     This  speaks  well  for  my  strength. 

July  14. — Arrived  at  Balama,  the  first  Munshi  village, 
in  one  and  a  half  hours.  I  am  quite  lost  in  admiration 
of  the  Munshi  men  ;  they  are  wonderfully  well  developed, 
with  clear  skins  which  are  died  a  very  dark  claret  red. 
The  hair  of  the  head  is  shaved,  with  the  exception  of 
a  plaited  tuft  on  the  side  of  the  head  above  the  ear. 
They  all  carry  spears,  or  bows  and  arrows,  which  are 
poisoned.  Their  houses  are  circular  and  very  large. 
The  king's  house,  in  which  I  stopped,  was  at  least 
thirty  feet  in  diameter.  On  the  walls  were  hung  several 
masks  of  horses,  and  near  to  them  two  cow's  heads 
fantastically  done  up  with  grass  rope.  It  is  a  custom 
among  the  Munshi  for  a  chief,  when  he  marries,  to 
give  the  woman  a  cow.  This  is  killed  and  distributed 
amongst  the  guests  at  the  marriage  feast.  In  this  case 
the  two  heads  showed  the  marriage  of  two  women. 

The  dead  are  buried  outside  the  villages.  A  slight 
mound  is  raised,  then  thorn  branches  are  placed  on 
top  to  keep  off  wild  animals,  while  on  the  branches 
themselves  the  dead  man's  clothes  and  hat  are  spread. 
The  tribal  marks  are  a  series  of  circular  raised  bumps 
on  each  temple  in  the  form  of  an  arc  3.  Sometimes 
are  on  the  forehead  and  chin. 

July  15. — After  a  very  tiring  march  of  eight  hours 
through  a  burning  sun,  and  with  no  water  for  the  last 
three  hours  of  the  journey,  we  tailed  towards  late 
evening  into  Wukari.     I  entered  the  place  with  feelings 


144  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

of  sadness,  for  I  realised  that  there  would  be  many  things 
during  the  next  month  to  remind  me  of  the  time  when 
Pickles  was  with  me,  in  1904.  It  was  here  that  he 
came  to  stay  for  a  few  days  to  recruit  after  his  attack 
of  fever,  and  I  am  now  living  in  the  same  hut  he 
lived  in. 

Before  getting  into  the  town  I  passed  the  Crocodile 
Pool,*  which  is  described  and  pictured  in  my  book. 
Here  San  Thome  had  a  narrow  escape.  After  a  hot 
march  he  jumped  into  the  shallow  water  and  laid  down 
within  two  feet  of  a  huge  crocodile,  which  peered  with 
gaping  jaws  out  of  a  cavernous  fissure.  At  the  time 
there  were  many  women  and  children  bathing  and  wash- 
ing close  to  the  animal.  They  shouted  frantically  to  me 
to  drive  the  dog  out  of  the  water,  but  San  Thome, 
oblivious  of  the  danger,  refused  at  first  to  budge,  and 
I  had  to  use  my  stick. 

Wukari  is  a  large  town  of  Jukun  and  Hausa ;  it  was 
once  walled.  Towards  sundown  the  market,  which  is  a 
big  one,  presented  a  very  lively  appearance,  and  one 
could  not  help  feeling  a  thrill  of  pleasure  at  the  sight 
of  so  much  prosperity,  which  we  have  drawn  into  our 
dominions  and  nursed  so  well. 

July  16. — Stayed  to  finish  labelling  the  last  collec- 
tion of  birds  from  Manenguba.  During  the  work  a 
number  of  Munshi,  who  came  to  the  market  here 
from  neighbouring    villages,  gathered   round   the   door- 

*  A  little  pool,  only  twenty  feet  long,  but  very  deep.  The  natives 
say  it  springs  from  an  underground  river.  It  is  the  home  of  a 
number  of  crocodiles,  which  have  dwelt  therein  as  long  as  the 
memory  of  man,  and  are  believed  to  have  come  up  through  the 
sources  of  the  water.  They  are  held  sacred  by  the  natives,  who 
come  down  and  wash  all  among  them  on  perfectly  friendly  terms* 
—Ed. 


DIARY   OF  HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  145 

way,  all  lost  in  admiration  of  the  birds,  especially  the 
bright-feathered  ones.  The  Munshi  are  very  keen 
hunters,  and  are  extremely  fond  of  feathers. 

Have  been  very  unfortunate  in  not  being  able  to  find 
the  crocodiles  out  in  the  pool,  though  I  have  been 
down  three  times  to-day.  Pickles  was  extremely  lucky 
to  get  the  interesting  photograph  that  he  did. 

July  17 — Left  for  Ibi.  Meant  to  have  stayed  at 
Rafin  Solder,  distant  four  hours,  but  found  the  people 
had  practically  deserted  the  place,  and  consequently 
no  "chop"  was  to  be  had. 

Arrived  Ibi  in  another  three  and  half  hours.  I  set 
out  for  the  place  where  Pickles  and  I  stayed  in  1904, 
but  found  the  spot  very  much  altered — in  fact,  all  the 
old  huts  had  been  pulled  down  by  the  Government, 
and  a  well-built  mud  hut  with  cook-house  erected  as 
a  European  rest-house  in  their  place.  This  I  was 
sorry  for,  as  I  should  like  to  have  seen  the  place  of 
my  old  recollections.  It  was  here  that  Pickles  was 
laid  up  with  fever,  and  here  that  I  helped  him  with 
his  transport  for  his  journey  into  the  Wase  country. 
In  fact,  when  I  said  goodbye  to  him  at  the  river  bank 
it  was  the  last  time  that  I  was  destined  to  see  him 
in  health. 

Ibi,  as  a  station,  has  changed  very  much  for  the 
better.  The  old  tumble-down  residency  is  now  super- 
seded by  a  well-built,  airy  bungalow,  but  the  magni- 
ficent brick  wall  which  surrounded  the  old  building 
has  been  kept  and  is  being  repaired.  Three  other 
bungalows  have  been  built  on  the  same  rise  of  ground, 
but  further  to  the  west.  These  form  the  quarters  of 
the  provincial  resident  (0.  V.  Elphinstone),  the  doctor 
(Lobb),  and  the  police  officer  (Ellis).  Altogether  there 
are  four  European  officials  here,  including  Holme,   who 

11 


146  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

is    the    local  Assistant  Kesident.     In   many  ways   the 

station  has  been  vastly  improved,  and  I  am  certain  it 

has   gained   from   the   health    point  of  view.  For   one 

thing,  much  clearing  of  the  ground  has  been  done,  and 
only  the  best  trees  have  been  left  standing. 

July  18. — The  telegraph  wire  is  down  and  consequently 
I  can  do  nothing  towards  getting  money,  but  Mr. 
Hoist,  the  manager  of  the  Niger  Company,  has  gener- 
ously come  forward  and  said  he  would  take  my  cheques 
on  a  home  bank.  But  unfortunately  money  is  scarce 
in  Ibi  just  now,  and  he  found  he  could  only  let  me 
have  about  £225,  and  this  was  scraped  up  with  a 
great  deal  of  effort.  Anyway,  with  the  money  I  had 
left,  £20,  it  was  enough  to  pay  off  the  men  (£163  15s.), 
and  allow  of  Jose's  going  to  Kano  to  buy  camels  (£70). 
I  am  heartily  glad  to  get  rid  of  the  men.  The  Mendies 
have  been  most  truculent.  Previous  to  their  being 
paid  off,  they  again  refused  to  obey  an  order,  and  I 
had  to  ask  Ellis  to  deal  with  two  of  the  offenders. 
The  sight  of  the  police  brought  the  remainder  to  their 
senses.  I  consider  that  the  Mendie  is  the  last  person 
to  employ  on  an  expedition.  He  is  quite  intractable. 
Of  course,  as  soon  as  they  got  their  pay  the  usual 
gambling  with  the  cowrie  shell  commenced,  and  more 
than  one  lost  every  penny  of  his  money.  The  Govern- 
ment really  should  do  something  to  stop  this.  The 
next  thing  that  always  follows  is  that  the  winners 
lend  their  gains  to  the  losers  at  exorbitant  rates. 

It  is  wonderful  what  deference  is  paid  to  the  white 
man  by  natives  of  all  classes  at  Ibi.  It  becomes  quite 
irksome  to  go  through  the  market,  and  I  always  think 
that  one  should,  if  possible,  acknowledge  the  salutations. 
On  one's  approach  groups  of  men  sitting  by  the  side 
or  at  the   corners  of   the   street  will  rise  up  and  stand 


DIARY  OF  HIS  LAST  JOURNEY  147 

respectfully  till  one  has  passed.  Passers-by,  many 
turbanned  and  clothed  in  costly  togas,  will  pause  to 
take  their  sandals  off,  or  at  other  times  to  bend  to  the 
ground. 

Within  the  last  year  two  new  coins  have  been  intro- 
duced, a  nickel  penny,  and  a  smaller  one  of  one-tenth 
the  value.  The  latter  has  taken  the  place  of  the  cowrie 
shell.     Both  coins  seem  to  be  popular. 

In  the  market  now  cigarettes  are  sold.  This  is 
quite  a  new  thing.  The  boxes  are  sold  at  Is.  6d.  each, 
and  the  chief  buyers  are  carriers  and  small  boys.  They 
are  brought  from  Lokoja  at  Is.  3d.  a  box,  and  at 
Yola  the  price  is  2s. 

The  caravan  tax  has  been  withdrawn.  This  while 
it  was  in  force  used  to  bring  into  the  Protectorate's 
exchequer  £42,000  a  year.  Within  the  last  year  an 
income  tax  has  been  imposed.  The  Resident  of  the 
Provinces  assesses  what  each  town  is  able  to  pay, 
and  the  chief  is  then  told  to  collect  it.  He  does  so, 
calling  upon  each  man  to  pay  according  to  his  means. 
This  tax  is  readily  understood  by  the  natives  since 
it  is  nothing  more  than  an  improved  administration  of 
one  of  their  own  laws,  and  of  course  it  is  far  more 
fairly  done  now  than  in  the  old  days,  when  a  chief 
levied  what  he  liked  upon  a  town,  which  always  suffered 
severely  if  it  was  in  his  bad  books. 

An  amusing  story,  if  it  did  not  end  so  tragically,  has 
just  been  told  me  of  how  other  people's  money  is 
squandered  away  in  exploiting  concerns  in  West  Africa. 

A  certain  adventurer  and  elephant  hunter  whom 
I  have  made  mention  of  in  my  former  travels  plays 
a  prominent  part  in  the  African  tragi-comedy.  He,  in 
course  of  time,  after  having  burnt  several  villages  in 
the  Cameroons,  returns  to   Ibi  penniless,  with  no  dis- 


148  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

coveries  of  mines  up  his  sleeve.  He  goes  to  the 
manager  of  a  certain  company  and  gives  him  a  glowing 
account  of  the  rubber  in  the  country  he  has  prospected 
in,  and  offers  to  collect  it  for  him  on  the  loan  of  £60. 
But  the  amount  he  guarantees  to  collect  in  a  month 
so  far  exceeds  any  known  in  the  wide  experience 
of  the  manager  that  the  latter  is  wary  and  refuses. 
Our  friend,  reduced  by  now  to  dire  straits,  next  brings 
to  the  manager  his  elephant-gun  and  asks  for  a  loan 
upon  it  of  £5.  This  he  obtains.  He  then  disappears 
into  the  native  town,  where  apparently  he  sits  down 
for  some  time. 

The  scene  now  shifts  to  another  part  of  the  Pro- 
tectorate. Previous  to  the  arrival  of  our  friend  at 
Ibi,  a  man  named  A  buys  from  the  Niger  Company 
at  Lokoja  a  sample  of  rubber  and  goes  home  with  it, 
and  on  the  strength  of  it  raises  a  substantial  sum  of 
money  from  certain  wealthy  City  men  to  run  a  rubber 
concern  in  Northern  Nigeria.  Two  kindred  spirits,  B 
and  C,  go  out  with  him,  and  they  eventually  find 
themselves  at  Ibi.  By  this  time  our  friend  is  pretty 
well  on  his  beam  ends  again,  and  he  hails  the  arrival 
of  these  men  with  satisfaction  and  loses  no  time  in 
fastening  on  to  them.  His  knowledge  of  the  country 
and  his  tales  of  rubber  soon  procure  for  him  a  position 
as  guide,  at  the  nice  little  sum  of  £30  a  month,  on 
the  promise  that  he  will  show  his  employers  where 
the  rubber  is  to  be  found.  He  now  advises  that  one 
of  the  party  should  go  down  to  the  coast  and  bring 
up  a  lot  of  trade  goods,  while  in  the  meantime  he 
should  go  into  the  Adamawa  country  to  buy  donkeys 
for  the  transport.  This  is  eventually  carried  out,  and 
our  friend  comes  back  with  something  like  sixty  donkeys. 
Then  a  start  is  made  into  the  Land  of  Promise,   but 


DIARY  OF  HIS  LAST  JOURNEY  149 

the  donkeys  prove  a  dismal  failure,  many  dying  from 
the  tsetse-fly,  while  those  that  do  not  are  apparently 
seized  with  a  warning  of  their  threatening  fate  and 
stampede  into  the  bush  with  all  their  precious  loads, 
never  to  be  found  again.  More  goods  have  now  to 
be  obtained  at  Ibi  and  carriers  requisitioned,  and  so 
the  expenditure  of  their  funds  rapidly  increases.  Even- 
tually a  fresh  start  is  made,  and  the  party  settle  down 
in  a  rubber-producing  district.  In  the  meantime  one 
of  the  party  gets  blackwater  and  has  to  return  home. 
Next,  our  friend,  having  amassed  some  six  months' 
pay,  finds  it  would  be  wise  to  return  home  owing  to  his 
bad  health.  Accordingly  he  leaves  his  two  companions, 
but  promises  to  come  out  again.     Exit. 

Letters  now  begin  to  come  from  the  anxious  share- 
holders at  home  wanting  to  know  when  to  expect  the 
first  consignment  of  rubber.  By  this  time  B  and 
C  have  collected  about  50  kilo,  and  the  former  suggests 
that  he  should  take  it  to  the  station  and  ship  it  home, 
pointing  out  that  it  would  also  be  an  opportunity  for 
replenishing  their  stores,  which  are  getting  low.  On 
arrival  at  the  station  B  sells  the  rubber  and  decamps 
to  Europe.  Exit  B.  In  the  meantime  C,  who  waits 
in  vain  for  the  return  of  B,  goes  raving  mad,  wanders 
into  the  bush  and  gets  eaten  by  cannibals.* 

July  23. — Jose  left  this  morning  for  Kano,  to  buy 
five  camels.  It  will  take  him  about  a  month  to  reach 
there,  so  I  shall  expect  him  at  Maifoni,  where  we  are 
to  meet  in  about  six  weeks'  time. 

Every  one  was  very  much  surprised  to  see  me  turn  up 

*  It  may  interest  the  reader,  but  hardly  satisfy  him,  to  learn  that 
the  chief  actor  in  this  drama,  the  elephant  hunter,  was  subsequently 
sentenced  to  eighteen  months'  hard  labour  for  trundling  a  nigger  in  a 
spiked  barre  a  la  Begulus  I — Ed. 


150  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

at  Ibi.  It  is  quite  a  comfort  to  feel  that  one's  movements 
are  not  known  ahead.  In  the  old  days,  when  white  men 
in  Africa  were  few  and  far  between,  one's  approach  was 
heralded  at  least  three  days  in  front  of  one ;  but  now  the 
natives  have  become  so  familiar  with  the  sight  of  white 
men,  that  they  no  longer  carry  from  one  town  to  another 
the  news  that  a  white  man  is  approaching.  So  if  the 
opening  up  of  Africa  has  done  nothing  else  for  the  ex- 
plorer it  has  at  least  veiled  his  movements  with  secrecy. 

July  29. — Had  the  carriers  up  to  find  out  if  they  had 
made  up  their  minds  where  they  wanted  to  be  sent  to. 
The  Mendies  all  chose  to  go  to  Lokoja  and  the  Hausas, 
with  the  exception  of  three  who  went  with  Jose  to  Kano, 
wished  to  return  to  Sekondi.  I  have  given  passage 
money  to  all,  and  have  hired  a  canoe  to  take  them  down 
to  Lokoja. 

July  30. — More  trouble  with  the  Mendies.  It  took  me 
three  hours  to  get  them  off.  I  had  literally  to  drive  them 
into  the  canoe.  They  are  the  worst  type  of  native  I 
have  ever  come  across. 

July  31. — The  Niger  Company's  steamer  came  in  last 
night,  but  unfortunately  it  had  been  chartered  by  a 
French  Company,  and  two  Frenchmen  are  on  board.  At 
my  suggestion  Mr.  Hoist  approached  them  about  a 
passage  for  me.  They  were  very  gracious  and  consented 
at  once. 

Left  about  one  o'clock. 

It  is  rather  remarkable,  but  I  find  the  two  Frenchmen 
are  agents  to  the  Nana  Company  at  Krebidje.  This  was 
the  Company  I  bought  a  good  many  stores  from  when  I 
passed  through  that  place.  Their  names  are  Giajola  and 
Dumas.  They  seem  to  have  an  unlimited  supply  of  out- 
fit and  all  of  the  very  best.     They  are  very  hospitable, 


DIARY  OF  HIS  LAST  JOURNEY  151 

and  will  insist  on  my  having  meals  with  them.  It  is  a 
long  time  since  I  have  enjoyed  such  well-cooked  meals. 
The  Nana  Company  is  a  rich  one.  It  appears  they  have 
bought  up  all  the  Government  boats  on  the  Shari,  and 
have  undertaken  to  supply  the  stations,  and  will  probably 
do  so  by  way  of  the  Benue  and  Tubouri. 

August  1. — A  most  glorious  sunset  last  evening,  that 
almost  dazzled  the  eyes,  so  quickly  did  the  hues  deepen 
and  change.  When  the  sun  dipped  behind  the  sharp-cut 
edge  of  a  range  of  rugged  hills,  all  bathed  in  purple,  the 
sky  flushed  a  deep  rose  red,  melting  towards  the  zenith 
into  a  tender  blue  that  changed  to  palest  green  before  the 
gaze,  while  from  the  brilliant  dome  hung  many  strata  of 
deep  violet  clouds.  Beyond  this  floating  radiance  and 
over  the  northern  sky  the  beams  of  a  full  moon  shot  up 
brilliant  and  defined  as  those  of  a  searchlight. 

August  4. — About  eleven  o'clock  we  arrived  at  Yola. 
The  manager  of  the  Niger  Company  gave  me  a  small 
house  to  stay  in,  as  the  barracks  are  two  and  a  half  miles 
away  from  the  Company.  I  drew  from  him  £100.  Of  all 
the  stations  I  have  visited  in  this  country  I  do  not  think  I 
have  seen  a  less  happily  chosen  site  if  utility  is  the  thing 
considered.  Placed  two  and  a  half  miles  from  the  only 
anchorage,  it  has  not  even  the  advantage  of  being  in  touch 
with  Yola.  It  is  situated  at  the  end  of  a  rise  of  ground  that 
falls  abruptly  on  the  north-east  and  south  to  the  river  level, 
where  in  the  rainy  season  a  vast  marsh  separates  it  from 
the  town  of  Yola,  whose  position  is  only  indicated  by  a 
thick  belt  of  trees  which  hides  the  houses  from  view. 
Close  to  the  Niger  Company  is  the  village  of  Gimeta, 
dirty  and  ill  laid  out.  It  is  a  Hausa  and  Fulani  settle- 
ment under  a  Hausa  chief.  To  my  mind  the  right 
position  for  the  barracks  would  have  been  on  a  slight 


152  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

prominence,  rich  in  shady  baobab-trees,  that  lies  to  the 
left  of  the  road  towards  the  present  barracks,  and  about  a 
quarter  of  an  hour's  walk  from  Gimeta.  All  the  officials 
have  been  extremely  kind  to  me.  They  are  Barclay 
(Resident),  Dwyer  (next  in  command),  Stone  (command- 
ing the  soldiers),  Dix  (police),  Dalziel  (doctor),  Boyle 
(Assistant  Resident). 

If  anything  can  be  said  for  the  position  of  the  station  it  is 
the  view  towards  the  north-east,  and  this  is  magnificent. 
Towards  Garua  there  lies  a  vast  plain  of  bush-covered 
country,  stretching  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach,  while  to- 
wards the  south,  distant  about  ten  miles  and  running  from 
north-west  to  north-east,  are  the  picturesque  Verre  hills. 
This  range  is  inhabited  by  the  Verre  tribe,  pagans  who  wear 
leaves,  and  their  huts  are  perched  upon  the  almost  in- 
accessible portions  of  the  hills ;  but  since  our  administra- 
tion of  the  Province  a  healthy  sign  of  our  influence  is 
that  many  of  these  people  are  leaving  their  strongholds 
among  the  rocks  and  are  settling  on  the  plains  below, 
which  they  realise  is  to  their  advantage,  since  they  can 
grow  double  the  amount  of  crops  on  the  rich  soil  of  the 
plains  as  compared  with  what  they  have  grown  on  the 
stony  ground  of  the  hills.  Yet  there  are  many  who  still 
stick  to  the  hills  at  points  where  they  can  dominate  the 
trade  routes  and  carry  on  a  system  of  murder  and  robbery. 
A  fat  Hausa  trader  coming  along  with  his  following  will 
be  swooped  upon,  his  throat  cut,  and  his  goods  and  be- 
longings taken  up  into  the  hills,  and  then  perhaps,  some 
months  later,  the  travelling  official  comes  along  and  is 
received  by  these  charming  people  with  open  arms,  so  to 
speak,  but  when  he  accuses  them  of  the  murder  they 
shake  their  heads,  hold  up  their  hands  in  horror  and  say 
they  know  nothing  about  it. 

The  lack  of  made  roads  in  the  Province  must  be  con- 


DIARY  OF  HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  153 

ducive  to  this  lawlessness.  We  go  just  to  the  other 
extreme  of  what  the  Germans  do.  Were  they  to  be 
cleared  the  roads  would  become  more  frequented,  and 
chances  of  murder  and  robbery  would  thereby  be  lessened. 

The  Verre  pagans  are  strongly  built  and  thickset,  and 
have  negroid  features.  Iron  bars  and  hoes  are  currencies 
among  them.  The  young  men  of  the  tribe  cannot  marry 
until  they  are  possessed  of  thirty  hoes,  and  these  are  given 
as  a  present  to  the  uncle  of  the  bride.  Just  before  the 
birth  of  the  first  child  the  wife  goes  to  her  mother's  house 
and  does  not  return  to  her  husband's  compound  till  two 
months  after  the  child  is  born,  while  two  years  must  elapse 
before  she  can  again  share  his  bed.  All  children  belong 
to  the  mother  and  inherit  from  her  and  from  her  family, 
while  the  possessions  of  the  father  pass  to  the  children  of 
his  sister. 

The  Verre  method  of  burial  is  also  interesting.  On  the 
death  of  a  man  the  first  skin  is  rubbed  off,  the  idea  being 
that  he  should  not  be  buried  with  a  dirty  skin.  This  is 
usually  done  three  days  after  death.  Then  a  pit  is  dug,  in 
which  the  body  is  put  standing  upright,  or,  rather, 
hanging  by  the  head,  which  is  placed  in  a  vice  of  stones, 
and  then  an  earthenware  pot  covers  the  whole.  After  a 
time  the  body  becomes  detached  from  the  head,  and  falls 
to  the  bottom  of  the  pit.  The  skull  is  then  taken  to  the 
compound  of  the  head  man  or  woman  of  the  deceased 
man's  family  and  is  kept  in  the  hut.  This  is  only  done 
in  the  case  of  important  people,  and  then,  too,  the  grave 
is  dug  inside  the  hut  of  the  deceased,  while  in  ordinary 
cases  it  is  dug  just  outside  the  compound.  The  Batta 
pagans  also  bury  upright.  The  Fulani  bury  lying  on 
one  side. 

The  conviction  and  exiling  of  the  late  Emir  of  Yola  to 
Lokoja  in  April  last  is  still  the  topic  of  conversation. 


154  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

I  have,  through  various  sources,  chiefly  native  ones, 
obtained  some  interesting  facts  which  led  to  his  convic- 
tion. 

This  Einir  was  always  kicking  against  the  Government ; 
in  fact,  he  was  an  impossible  person  to  deal  with.  I  think 
great  credit  is  due  both  to  Barclay  and  Boyle  for  the 
prompt  way  in  which  they  managed  the  case,  for  it  was 
quite  possible  that  his  arrest  would  have  led  to  dis- 
turbance and  bloodshed.  Of  course,  a  nice  point  might  be 
raised  as  to  whether  Barclay  had  the  power  to  bring  to 
trial  and  depose  a  reigning  sovereign  in  a  Protectorate, 
but  I  consider  an  exception  is  justifiable  in  the  present 
instance. 

When  Yola  was  effectively  occupied  in  1901  the  then 
Emir,  Zubeiru,  fled  into  German  country  but  was 
driven  back  by  the  Germans  across  the  border,  where, 
according  to  common  report,  he  was  killed  by  the  Lala 
pagans.  But  for  his  hostility  to  the  white  man  he 
might  have  retained  the  Emirship,  but  in  reply  to  our 
offer  of  friendly  protection  his  answer  was,  "I  will  not 
bend  to  the  white  man."  Since  the  days  of  his  flight 
and  reported  death  a  belief  has  been  gaining  ground  that 
he  is  not  dead  but  living  with  the  King  of  Mandara,  and, 
further,  that  he  has  had  a  son  born  to  him.  Whether 
this  be  true  or  not  is  of  little  moment,  for  he  is  an  exile, 
and  Yola  would  offer  him  no  haven.  Zubeiru  was  suc- 
ceeded by  his  brother,  Bobo  Amadu,  who  appears  to  have 
devoted  his  reign  of  some  eight  years  to  a  long  series  of 
secret  crimes  and  extortions,  which  the  authorities  found 
extremely  difficult  to  bring  home  to  him  till  the  present 
year  (1909),  when  he  was  tried  and  convicted  on  the  charge 
of  inciting  to  murder  and  extortion,  and  then  deposed 
without  bloodshed  by  the  smart  action  of  the  British 
Resident.     In  order  to  realise  the  nature  and  extent  of 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  155 

the  Emir's  extortions  it  will  be  necessary  to  give  a  few 
instances. 

He  possessed  an  inordinate  love  for  amassing  money, 
the  accomplishing  of  which  was  rendered  easy  by  his 
power  and  position,  while  his  commanding  presence 
helped  him  in  no  small  degree  to  further  this  end.  Dark- 
skinned,  tall,  and  stoutly  built,  and  with  white  beard 
flowing  from  the  chin,  we  can  picture  him  surrounded  by 
some  hundreds  of  richly  gowned  horseman,  riding  into 
the  country  to  visit  his  towns,  where  he  would  demand 
without  payment  double  the  amount  of  food  required  for 
his  men,  and  then  order  the  remainder  to  be  sent  with 
him.  The  chief  of  a  town  named  Zuma,  warned  of  his 
coming  by  a  messenger,  had  the  best  house  and  compound 
made  ready  for  his  royal  master.  The  bed  upon  which 
he  was  to  recline  and  the  floor  as  well  were  spread  with 
costly  gowns.  In  the  centre  of  the  bed  shone  a  heap  of 
silver,  while  at  the  head  and  foot  knelt  two  young  virgins 
ready  to  receive  him.  Such  presents  as  these  could  only 
have  been  the  outcome  of  intimidation,  for,  often  when 
the  Emir  required  money,  he  would  summon  the  brother 
of  a  chief  and  would  tell  him  that  on  payment  of  a  certain 
sum  he  would  drive  his  brother  away  and  make  him  chief 
in  his  place.  Under  such  circumstances  it  is  little  to  be 
wondered  at  if  a  chief  did  all  he  could  to  propitiate  the 
Emir  when  the  latter  visited  his  town. 

At  the  foot  of  the  Verre  hills  there  lives  a  lowan  * 
who  has  ever  been  faithful  to  the  white  man.  He  is  old 
now  and  blind,  but  in  his  time  has  been  a  great  fighter, 
and  he  will  tell  you  how  in  his  fights  he  either  killed  a 
foe  or  took  a  slave.     Even  now,  whenever  he  hears  of  a 

*  "  Lowan"  is  the  title  of  a  chief  ruling  over  several  towns,  but  sub- 
ject to  the  Shehu  ;  he  holds  much  the  same  position  as  a  baron  in 
mediaeval  times. — Ed. 


156  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

white  man  approaching  his  town,  blind  as  he  is  he  will 
ride  out  to  meet  him  ;  in  fact,  he  is  never  without  his 
horse,  for  it  is  to  him  as  the  blind  man's  stick.  But  the 
peaceful  days  of  his  old  age  were  once  rudely  disturbed, 
for  the  Emir  sent  for  his  brother  and  said  to  him,  "  If 
you  give  me  four  cows,  I  will  make  you  lowan  in  your 
brother's  place."  As  soon  as  the  cattle  were  given,  the 
Emir  acquainted  the  old  lowan  of  his  danger,  and 
demanded  of  him  also  four  cows,  and  his  horse  as  well, 
if  he  still  wished  to  retain  his  position.  The  old  lowan 
burst  into  tears  and  came  to  his  royal  master  and  said, 
' '  Have  pity,  I  am  poor  and  blind.  Do  not  take  away  my 
only  horse,  my  dearest  possession  and  the  only  guide 
through  my  darkness  !  " 

Perhaps  most  subtle  of  all  his  iniquities  was  the 
manner  in  which  the  Emir  invited  the  pagans  to  put  out  of 
the  way  those  whom  he  disliked.  It  was  at  a  town  named 
Vanga  Malabu,  in  a  pagan  dependency,  that  a  particu- 
larly brutal  murder  was  instigated  by  him,  the  dis- 
covery of  which  led  to  his  trial  and  downfall.  This  town 
is  in  the  country  of  the  Batta  pagans,  the  head  town 
of  which  is  Malabu,  distant  from  Yola  about  a  three-days' 
march  to  the  north-east  and  lying  close  to  the  German 
frontier.  For  years  past  Malabu  had  suffered  through 
being  in  the  hands  of  bad  kings,  the  last  of  whom,  by 
name  Jigi  Adamu,  eventually  fled  into  German  country 
to  escape  the  penalty  of  past  misdeeds.  Then  his  son 
Jappo,  a  fine-looking  man,  whose  pale  skin  and  chiselled 
features  spoke  of  a  pure  origin,  proving  himself  loyal  to 
us,  was  made  chief  of  Malabu  by  the  British  Resident. 
Though  only  twenty-five  years  of  age,  he  had  by  his  loyal 
and  upright  character  gained  our  sympathy  and  con- 
fidence. All  this  was  distasteful  to  the  Emir,  who  soon 
determined   to   get   rid  of  him.     Accordingly,   he    sum- 


DIARY  OF  HIS   LAST   JOURNEY  157 

moned  several  of  the  Malabu  people  to  Yola,  and  three 
of  these  men  were  seen  to  enter  the  palace,  pass  through 
the  hall  of  waiting  and  go  on  to  a  private  room,  where 
the  Emir  received  them.  After  asking  questions  as  to 
what  was  happening  at  Malabu,  he  bent  forward  and 
said,  "  Why  do  you  keep  a  chief  I  do  not  like — why  don't 
you  kill  him?"  And  they  answered,  "Very  well,  we 
also  do  not  care  for  him."  It  was  not  long  before  an 
opportunity  offered  itself.  Jappo  went  out  into  his 
district  to  collect  the  taxes  for  the  Government,  and  one 
day  arriving  towards  evening  close  to  Vanga  Malabu, 
which  is  built  on  a  rocky  eminence,  he  took  up  his 
quarters  for  the  night  in  some  huts  on  the  ground  below. 
Vanga  Malabu  is  situated  in  a  country  much  broken  up 
by  rocky  hills  and  kopjes,  and  consists  of  groups  of 
conical  mud  huts  placed  wherever  the  ground  will  allow 
of  it.  Sometimes  the  villages  of  these  pagans  are  built 
on  the  kopjes  themselves.  On  the  arrival  of  Jappo  the 
village  assumed  a  hostile  attitude  and  refused  him  food 
for  his  people.  At  daybreak  a  crowd  of  men,  armed  with 
spears,  came  down  the  slopes  to  attack  him.  Whereupon 
Jappo,  turning  round  to  his  men,  who  were  making  ready 
to  fight,  called  out  "  Lay  down  your  spears  ;  we  serve  the 
white  man  who  loves  peace."  Then  he  left  the  com- 
pound, carrying  no  weapon,  to  meet  his  foes.  The  next 
minute  he  was  struck  down  and  hacked  to  pieces.  A 
brave  follower  behind  him  was  hit  in  the  breast,  but 
withdrew  the  spear  and  killed  his  assailant,  both  falling 
dead  the  same  instant.  However,  the  enemy  proved  too 
strong,  and  fourteen  of  Jappo's  band  were  overpowered 
and  killed.  As  soon  as  Jappo  fell  the  chief  murderer  cut 
off  his  head.  Then  his  heart  was  cut  up  into  little  square 
pieces  and  distributed  amongst  the  assassins.  The  flesh  was 
stripped  off  the  body  and  eaten,  while  the  head  and  arms 


158  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

were  sent  into  Vanga  Malabu,  where  the  latter  were  used 
as  drumsticks  during  a  night  of  revelry  and  dancing. 

His  blood-stained  clothes  were  tied  up  into  a  bundle  to 
be  sent  down  to  the  Emir.  Then  under  cover  of  the 
darkness  this  bloody  token  was  brought  into  Yola  with 
the  message — "The  desire  of  thy  heart  is  fulfilled,"  and 
the  Emir,  getting  up  from  his  Court,  retired  to  receive 
the  messengers  of  death  as  he  had  done  once  before,  and 
he  dismissed  them,  saying,  "  Go  back  and  rest  in  your 
village."  Eventually  six  of  the  murderers  were  captured 
and  hanged,  each  in  his  own  town.  This  is  the  story  of 
the  crime  which  brought  the  Emir  to  his  fall. 

August  5. — Disappointed  to  find  that  I  cannot  get 
dollars  *  here,  as  the  Governor  has  now  forbidden  their 
circulation,  but  the  manager  of  the  Niger  Company  has 
promised  to  try  and  get  them  for  me  at  Garua,  so  I  shall 
await  his  return. 

August  8. — I  am  laid  up  with  fever  ;  temperature  107. 

August  9. — Convalescent. 

August  10. — Left  to  stay  a  night  with  Boyle  at  Yola, 
where  he  has  an  office.  From  the  barracks  it  is  rather  a 
tedious  journey ;  a  leaky  canoe  takes  one  over  a  marsh 
about  a  mile  in  width,  and  then  one  has  a  journey  of 
another  mile  of  sloppy  marshland,  but  of  course  this  is 
only  in  the  rainy  season.  On  the  Yola  side  of  the  marsh 
I  was  met  by  the  Eurema  (a  title  similar  to  our  "  Prince 
of  Wales"),  the  Emir's  eldest  son,  with  about  a  hundred 
horse,  who  escorted  me  up  to  Yola.     The  Eurema  went 

*  An  Austrian  coin  of  1820,  stamped  with  the  head  of  Maria 
Theresa.  Somehow  or  other,  through  Tripoli  traders,  it  came  to  be 
the  only  piece  reckoned  with  by  the  natives  of  Africa,  so  the  French 
for  convenience  kept  to  it,  making  it  at  a  cost  of  about  130  fr.  each. 
—Ed. 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  159 

first ;  then  came  the  band,  aligatas  and  drums ;  then 
myself,  and  on  either  flank  troupes  of  horsemen,  who  at 
intervals  would  throw  up  and  shake  their  closed  fists  in 
the  air  by  way  of  salute,  crying  out  at  the  same  time  with 
hoarse  voices  a  welcome  to  Yola,  while  in  front  more 
troupes  of  horsemen  would  gallop  forward  and  spread  out 
like  a  fan,  and  then  return  at  a  breakneck  speed  to  rein 
their  horses  up  before  the  Eurema.  The  varied  coloured 
burnouses  all  added  to  the  effect,  which  was  very 
picturesque  and  inspiriting. 

There  is  nothing  to  be  seen  in  Yola.  The  huts  and 
compounds  are  much  hidden  by  young  trees,  which  have 
originally  sprouted  from  the  sticks  to  which  the  zana 
matting  was  tied,  and  consequently  one  gets  no  clear  or 
open  view  of  the  town.  And  there  is  much  maize  and 
gero  grown  between  the  compounds  themselves,  and  this 
gives  a  very  untidy  effect. 

The  population  is  about  seven  thousand,  but  the  birth- 
rate is  very  low  ;  in  fact,  the  Fulani  here  are  an  effete  race. 
There  is  hardly  what  I  would  consider  a  typical  Fulani 
here,  that  is,  pale-skinned  like  the  Borrero,  or  Bush 
Fulani,  whom  I  consider  are  typical  Fulani.  From  the 
Emir  down  they  are  all  as  black  as  one's  hat.  They 
claim  to  have  come  from  Melle  ;  if  this  is  so,  they  must 
have  intermarried  very  much  with  the  pagans.  And  they 
do  not  speak  the  proper  Fulani  tongue. 

The  Yola  Emirate,  as  far  as  its  history  can  be  traced, 
is  of  comparatively  recent  origin.  Four-fifths  of  the 
Yola  Province  is  composed  of  pagan  tribes ;  the  remain- 
ing fifth,  which  lies  in  Adamawa,  is  a  Fulani  settlement 
which  was  founded  by  a  Mallam,  named  Adamu  or 
Mordibo,  in  the  early  part  of  the  nineteenth  century. 
The  origin  of  this  matter  is  shrouded  a  good  deal  in 
mystery.     However,  it  is  known  that  Adamu  was  born 


160  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

about  1780,  and  as  chief  made  his  headquarters  at  Gurin 
on  the  Eiver  Faro,  thirty  miles  east  of  Yola.  Besides 
being  a  soldier,  he  had  a  great  reputation  for  learning, 
and  he  soon  collected  round  him  a  large  Fulani  following, 
mostly  immigrants  from  Bornu,  while  he  acquired  a  great 
influence  among  the  Cow-Fulani,  who  were  settled 
among — and  subject  to — the  powerful  tribe  of  Batta 
pagans,  who  at  that  time  occupied  both  sides  of  the 
Benue  for  a  considerable  distance.  In  1807  he  went  to 
Sokoto  and  was  given  a  flag  by  the  Emir,  Shehu  bi  Fadio. 
This  flag  is  now  in  the  present  Emir's  palace,  quite  white, 
but  if  held  up  to  the  light  texts  from  the  Koran  are 
visible  upon  it.  After  this  he  returned  to  Gurin  and  was 
acknowledged  by  the  Fulani  as  their  head. 

In  1840  he  moved  from  Gurin  and  made  his  capital  at 
Yola.  During  his  rule  not  much  progress  was  made  in 
throwing  off  the  pagan  yoke,  a  radius  of  thirty  miles 
from  Yola  town  representing  the  limit  of  Fulani  con- 
quests at  the  time  of  his  death  in  1846. 

In  the  west  he  failed  to  subdue  the  Bashima,  who,  being 
mounted  like  the  Fulani,  proved  a  match  for  them.  His 
expeditions  into  this  country  might  be  regarded  more  in 
the  nature  of  hurried  slave  raids  than  anything  else.  He 
did  not  go  far  south  himself,  but  his  three  lieutenants 
penetrated  as  far  as  Gaundere,  Kwoncha,  and  Banyo. 
Mordibo  was  succeeded  by  his  eldest  son,  Lowal,  under 
whose  rule  Fulani  influence  was  extended  over  a  vast 
area,  now  known  as  German  Adamawa.  During  his 
reign  he  visited  Sokoto.  He  appears  to  have  been  a 
good  king.  Lowal  died  in  1872,  and  was  succeeded  by 
his  brother  Sanda,  who  was  born  in  1825.  During  Sanda's 
rule  no  further  extension  of  Fulani  influence  appears  to 
have  taken  place,  since,  being  a  scholar,  the  greater 
portion  of  his  time  was  devoted  to  education,  he  himself 
conducting  and  instructing  personally  his  schools. 


DIARY  OF  HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  161 

In  1890  Sanda  died  and  was  succeeded  by  Zubeiru,  a 
son  of  Mordibu  Adamu,  born  in  1837.  Though  Zubeiru 
was  noted  for  his  personal  bravery,  his  Emirate  suffered 
under  his  harsh  rule,  while  his  fanatical  hatred  of  the 
white  man  brought  his  downfall  in  September,  1901,  when 
he  was  driven  out  by  a  British  force.  He  fled  into  Ger- 
man country,  where  he  was  defeated  by  the  Germans, 
eventually  being  driven  back  to  English  territory  in  1902. 
All  efforts  to  get  into  communication  with  him  failing,  a 
force  left  Yola  in  February,  1903,  to  attempt  his  capture. 
He  was  attacked,  but  managed  with  six  men  to  get  away 
during  the  fight,  escaping  to  the  country  of  the  Lala 
pagans,  who  were  the  hereditary  enemies  of  the  Fulani.  A 
day  or  two  later  he  was  discovered  hiding  in  the  bush 
by  the  pagans,  who  before  he  and  his  party  could  make 
good  their  escape  killed  them  to  a  man.  The  next  Emir, 
Bobo  Amadu,  born  in  1843,  and  last  surviving  son  of 
Mordibu  Adamu,  was  appointed  in  1901.  Both  he  and 
his  brother,  Zubeiru,  were  sons  by  a  pagan  (Marragi) 
mother,  but  Lowan  and  Sanda  were  pure  Fulani.  I 
have  already  given  a  history  of  Bobo  Amadu. 

The  trade  of  the  Province  consists  in  gum,  gutta, 
beeswax,  indigo,  and  shea  nuts.  This  month  and  the 
next  (August  and  September)  are  the  season  of  the 
latter.  The  Niger  Company  are  taking  on  the  average 
six  tons  a  week.  Besides  these  products,  guinea, 
maize,  rice,  and  wheat  are  all  grown.  Yams  are  grown 
by  the  Verre  pagans.  The  principal  industries  of  the 
Fulani  are  farming  and  the  rearing  of  cattle,  horses, 
sheep,  and  goats,  while  cloth-weaving,  dyeing,  and  the 
manufacture  of  "Morocco"  leather  must  also  be  taken 
into  account.  A  great  deal  of  kola  nuts  come  from  the 
Cameroons,  from  Gaundere  and  Banyo  chiefly,  and  are 
sold  at  five  shillings  per  hundred  in  the  Yola  market. 

12 


162  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

Iron  ore  is  plentiful,  and  is  smelted  by  the  pagans   for 
spears  and  arrow-heads. 

Our  method  of  ruling  the  country  is  to  do  it  through 
the  Emir,  who  is  helped  by  his  chief  adviser,  called  the 
Waziri,  and  also  a  council  consisting  of  twelve  to  fourteen 
men  under  the  chief  Alkali  and  two  others.  They  have 
the  power  of  inflicting  the  death  sentence,  and  the  mode 
is  beheading.  The  victim  is  first  stunned  by  a  blow 
from  behind  by  the  executioner,  who  then  proceeds  to 
saw  off  his  head.  For  offences  other  than  murder  the 
sentence  may  be  a  flogging.  The  victim  is  driven  round 
the  market  on  a  black  donkey,  followed  by  the  castigator, 
who  is  not  allowed  when  giving  the  lashes  to  raise  his 
arm  above  the  shoulder,  and  to  ensure  this  he  is  made 
to  hold  cowrie  shells  under  his  arms. 

August  13. — Back  again  in  Yola.  In  the  evening  I 
had  a  rocket  display  which  ended  badly,  one  of  them 
bursting  at  my  feet,  giving  me  a  terrific  blow  on  the 
left  instep,  which  laid  me  up  for  the  next  ten  days. 
During  which  time  I  managed  to  get  another  attack  of 
fever  with  high  temperature,  107 '2,  and  severe  ague  and 
vomiting.  I  think  I  must  have  contracted  this  kind  of 
fever  in  the  Cameroons,  as  the  doctor  here  says  he  has 
never  heard  of  it  in  these  parts. 

The  manager  of  the  Niger  Company,  being  unable  to 
get  me  dollars  at  Garua  at  the  price  I  quoted,  Barclay 
has  given  me  permission  to  collect  them  in  Yola,  and 
I  have  bought  over  a  hundred  from  a  Hausa  trader 
here  at  the  ruinous  figure  of  3s.  3d.  each ;  but  they  are 
new  ones,  and  that  makes  all  the  difference.  There  is 
a  regular  trade  in  these  dollars  between  Garua  and 
Lokoja,  where  they  are  sold  at  3s.  6d.  each,  for  making 
into  rings  and  bracelets.  At  Garua  the  price  is  2s.  6d. 
The  present  trader  had  more  than  three  hundred  of  them, 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  163 

and  is   on    his  way   to   Lokoja;  the   trade   must    be   a 
pretty  lucrative  one. 

August  24. — My  foot  well  enough  to  move  into  my  old 
quarters  at  Gimeta,  but  a  stick  is  necessary,  and  I  have 
to  be  lifted  into  the  saddle. 

Sir  William  Wallace  arrived  here  on  August  17th,  and 
the  next  morning  officially  appointed  the  new  Emir, 
Mahamedu  Iya,  nephew  of  Bobo  Amadu.  Sir  W. 
Wallace  sent  me  a  very  kind  letter  through  his  secretary, 
saying  he  was  sorry  I  was  laid  up  and  offering  to  help  me 
in  any  way  he  could.  In  fact,  nothing  could  have 
exceeded  the  kindness  shown  to  me  by  all  the  officials 
in  Yola. 

August  25. — Made  a  start  at  last  for  Maifoni,  with 
thirty-two  carriers  in  all. 

Arrived  Geri,  in  two  and  a  half  hours.  It  is  a  Fulani 
town. 

August  26. — Stayed  Geri.  Heard  the  shocking  news 
that  the  small  Government  launch,  which  took  Barclay 
down  the  river  a  few  days  ago,  struck  a  rock  and  sunk 
about  two  days  from  Lau,  and  the  poor  fellow  was 
drowned.  Apart  from  the  extreme  kindness  which  Bar- 
clay showed  me  while  at  Yola,  he  had  a  charming  per- 
sonality, and  another  sad  part  of  the  affair  is  that  he  only 
married  the  last  time  he  was  home  on  leave. 

August  27. — Arrived  Wuru,  in  four  and  a  half  hours. 
Leg  still  painful. 

August  28. — Gellen,  four  and  a  half  hours.  A  tsetse 
belt  exists  along  the  River  Maoi,  about  four  miles  from 
Gellen.  I  greatly  fear  that  San  Thome  has  been  bitten 
by  the  fly,  probably  when  coming  up  the  river  from  Ibi. 
He  is  in  a  pitiable  state  now,  has  eaten  nothing  for  the 


164 


BOYD   ALEXANDER 


last  two  days,  and  does  nothing  but  sleep,  waking  up 
after  sundown  to  wander  aimlessly  about  like  some 
unhappy  spirit.     One  is  powerless  to  cure  or  give  relief. 

August  29. — Stayed  Gellen  owing  to  leg. 

August  30. — Arrived  Song  (Fulani  chief),  four  and  a 
half  hours.  One  and  a  half  miles  from  the  town  one  has 
to  cross  the  River  Maio  again,  about  thirty  yards  wide. 
To-day  the  water  reached  to  one's  middle. 

From  Song  onwards  the  country  becomes  broken  with 


*   7/!-       W's       ***•■••  r'r!^; 


Hills  at  Song. 


small  ranges  of  hills  like  those  in  my  sketch,  clothed  half- 
way up  in  trees,  and  then  bare  rock  to  their  tops. 

August  31. — Road  from  Song  to  Goila  (four  and  a  half 
hours)  very  stony  and  undulating.  There  is  much  cattle 
at  this  place. 

September  1. — Arrived  Duainfour  hours.  No  supplies. 
Here  begin  the  Kilba  pagans,  who  live  in  the  rocky  hills. 
On  my  way  here,  soon  after  leaving  Goila,  we  passed  several 
Bush  Fulani  camps,  with  a  large  amount  of  cattle.  From 
one  of  the  settlements  several  women  came  out  to  sell 
milk  and  butter.  One  woman,  a  typical  Fulani,  was 
extremely  handsome,  with  pale  skin  and  very  regular 
features,  and  long  black  hair  which  hung  down  on  each 


DIARY   OF  HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  165 

side  of  the  face  in  twisted  ringlets.  The  ears  were  hung 
with  many  heavy  brass  rings.  I  took  a  photograph, 
which  I  hope  will  come  out  well. 

September  2. — Pella,  in  three  and  a  half  hours,  a  small 
station  at  present  in  charge  of  a  non-commissioned  officer, 
Sergeant  Hammond,  R.E.  Curiously  enough,  he  was 
with  Lugard  during  his  tour  in  Bornu  in  1904,  and  met 
Gosling  at  Yo.  He  comes  from  Bishop's  Stortford,  and 
knows  all  the  Gosling  family.  The  station  is  situated 
among  rocky  hills. 

September  3. — Had  breakfast  with  Sergeant  Hammond. 
How  resourceful  these  non-commissioned  officers  are ! 
The  first  dish  he  gave  me  was  dry  biscuits  well  soaked 
in  milk  and  flavoured  with  a  little  nutmeg.  To  prevent 
the  soaked  biscuit  from  rising  a  small  stick  was  spanned 
across  the  cup.  It  was  really  excellent,  and  I  never 
realised,  till  he  told  me,  that  it  was  only  made  out  of 
ship's  biscuit.  After  breakfast  I  managed  to  limp  off 
with  him  to  the  market.  On  the  way  we  heard  most 
unearthly  cries  coming  from  a  compound,  and  at  the  time 
I  thought  they  were  those  of  some  animal  in  pain.  We 
looked  over  the  zana  matting  of  the  compound,  and  then  we 
realised  that  a  most  interesting  "  ju-ju  "  palaver  was  being 
enacted.  The  subject  was  a  woman,  apparently  demented. 
On  the  ground  lay  a  sheep  on  its  side,  with  its  throat  cut, 
the  blood  flowing  into  a  hole  which  had  been  made  in  the 
ground.  The  woman,  on  her  hands  and  knees,  was  beat- 
ing the  ground  frantically  in  front  of  the  sacrificed  sheep, 
while  the  "ju-ju  "  man,  also  on  his  hands  and  knees,  was 
lapping  up  the  blood,  and  performing  between  the  laps 
silent  incantations  by  means  of  gestures.  This  form  of 
"ju-ju"  is  practised  by  both  Hausa  and  Fulani,  and  is 
known  as  Burri,  and  is  only  made  use  of  in  cases  where 


166  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

the  patient  has  become  demented.  My  camera  for- 
tunately was  at  hand,  and  I  took  photographs. 

At  the  place  where  I  stopped  for  my  midday  meal  after 
leaving  Pella,  a  rather  curious  coincidence  happened.  I 
have  already  spoken  of  San  Thome's  sickness,  and  I  fear 
he  gets  thinner  and  weaker  every  day.  The  only  thing  I 
can  get  him  to  eat  is  liver,  and  I  felt  it  was  absolutely 
necessary  to  try  and  buy  a  sheep  at  the  earliest  opportu- 
nity ;  in  fact,  I  was  in  want  of  fresh  meat  myself,  having 
for  the  last  week  lived  on  tinned  meat  and  the  lean  fowl 
of  the  country,  a  tasteless  dish  which  one  gets  very  sick 
of.  As  soon  as  I  stopped  I  gave  orders  to  one  of  my 
soldiers  to  go  on  ahead  and  tell  the  king  of  the  town  my 
wish.  His  answer  was  that  at  the  best  he  might  be  able 
to  get  a  goat  from  the  chief,  as  the  village  was  a  pagan 
one  (Kilba)  and  poor  besides,  and  the  Kilba  did  not  possess 
sheep.  However,  I  sent  him  off,  telling  him  to  do  his 
best.  Hardly  two  minutes  had  elapsed  when  he  came 
running  back,  saying  that  he  had  distinctly  heard  the 
bleating  of  sheep  in  the  distance  coming  along  the  road, 
and  that  it  must  be  a  Hausa  caravan,  with  sheep,  on  its 
way  down  from  Bornu.  I  listened  but  at  first  could  not 
hear  anything.  Then,  a  few  minutes  later,  I  distinctly 
caught  a  faint  sound  of  bleating,  and  I  almost  exclaimed  in 
the  words  of  the  Prophet,  "  What  meaneth  then  this 
bleating  of  the  sheep  I  hear  in  mine  ears  ?  "  when  presently 
a  flock  of  sheep,  with  their  shepherds  behind,  came  in 
sight.  It  did  not  take  long  to  strike  a  bargain,  and  I 
took  away  with  me  a  fat  and  lusty  ram,  while  all  my 
followers  cried  out  "  Allah,  the  only  God,  is  guarding 
thee  !  " 

An  escort  of  two  soldiers  were  given  to  me  by  Sergeant 
Hammond,  as  the  road  about  Chibuk  is  not  altogether 
safe.     Though  these  people  were  "  palavered  "  about  two 


Witch  Doctor  performing  "Ju-ju"  over  a  mad  woman  at  Peli.a. 


Women  dan<  ing   \  i   Dalw  \. 


DIARY  OF  HIS  LAST  JOURNEY  167 

years  ago,  they  are  still  truculent,  and  have  returned  to 
their  old  life  again  in  the  caves.  If  the  road  is  unsafe  now, 
how  much  more  so  must  it  have  been  in  1905  when 
Talbot  passed  down  it  without  an  escort,  my  application 
for  one  having  been  refused.  Then  the  Chibuks  had  not 
been  punished  and  Pella  as  a  station  did  not  exist. 

Reached  Myili  in  four  and  three-quarter  hours.  I  sent 
to  the  chief  of  the  Kilba  village,  which  is  some  way  off, 
asking  him  to  bring  in  supplies,  but  he  refused.  If  it  had 
not  been  for  my  bad  foot  I  should  have  gone  myself,  and 
brought  him  in  and  taught  him  a  lesson. 

September  4. — Made  a  late  start  owing  to  heavy  rain, 
which  lasted  pretty  well  all  day.  The  road  the  whole  way 
was  a  running  stream. 

I  made  a  camp  close  to  Jabba,  a  Kilba  village  lying  at 
the  foot  of  a  range  of  rocky  kopjes,  two  and  a  half  hours' 
march  from  Myili. 

September  5. — A  typical  pagan  gathering  witnessed  the 
striking  of  my  camp  from  a  respectful  distance,  squatting 
in  rows  on  the  rocky  ledges  of  the  hills,  like  so  many 
monkeys.  These  Kilba  pagans  have  a  distinct  type.  The 
men  are  poor  in  physique,  but  the  women  are  splendid. 
Like  other  pagan  tribes,  these  people  have  intermarried 
a  great  deal,  and  this  probably  accounts  for  the  deteriora- 
tion in  the  men.  They  are  great  farmers,  growing  gero, 
maize,  ground  nuts,  and  a  certain  amount  of  cotton. 
Their  mode  of  salutation  is  by  clapping  both  hands 
several  times  together.  The  Batta  pagans  greet  one 
with  both  hands  pressed  against  the  temples,  the  fingers 
encircling  the  forehead.* 

*  Boyd  was  always  very  much  interested  by  the  various,  and  in 
many  instances  curious,  forms  of  greeting  obtaining  among  the  tribes 
of  Africa,  and  in  vol.  i.  p.  272  of  his  book  he  gives  several  examples, 
throwing  out  suggestions  as  to  their  origin. — En. 


168  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

River  Maio,  in  one  and  a  half  hours.  Here  I  have  had 
to  make  camp,  for  the  river  is  so  full  and  the  current  so 
strong  that  passage  is  at  present  impossible,  and  I  shall 
have  to  wait  in  the  hopes  of  the  water  falling.  The  total 
absence  of  road-clearing,  bridging  of  streams,  and  pro- 
viding canoes  at  unfordable  rivers  in  the  greater  number 
of  the  provinces  of  this  Protectorate  is  really  lamentable ; 
and  though  this  river  is  within  two  days  of  a  station  and 
native  towns  within  three  hours  from  either  bank,  nothing 
has  been  done.  In  many  places  one  has  to  force  one's 
way  through  long,  standing  grass.  I  know  I  have  already 
expressed  my  opinion  on  road-making  in  Africa,  taking 
rather  the  opposite  point  of  view ;  but  I  think  we  go  too 
much  to  the  other  extreme  of  what  the  Germans  do,  and 
I  think  there  might  be  a  happy  mean. 

September  6. — The  first  thing  this  morning  I  sent  out 
some  of  the  carriers  to  reconnoitre,  and  after  some  time 
they  came  back  saying  that  we  could  cross  the  river,  the 
water  at  the  deepest  part  being  up  to  their  foreheads.  The 
headman  told  off  four  of  the  strongest  to  carry  me,  and 
it  was  really  wonderful  how  they  did  it.  The  tallest  man 
carried  me  on  his  shoulders,  and  the  other  three  held  me 
on  either  side.  At  the  deepest  part,  where  the  current 
was  strong,  they  disappeared  altogether,  and  the  same 
thing  happened  to  the  men  who  were  carrying  my  loads. 
The  effect  was  most  mysterious  :  nothing  but  the  boxes 
were  above  the  level  of  the  water.  After  gaining  the 
other  bank  (total  width  of  river  about  eighty  yards)  we 
had  to  march  through  about  half  a  mile  of  bad  swamp, 
where  in  one  place  my  horse  sank  into  the  mud  up  to  its 
shoulders,  and  I  had  to  roll  off.  After  passing  the  swamp 
we  had  to  cross  another  branch  of  the  River  Maio,  but 
this  was  not  quite  so  deep  as  the  first  stream.  But  after 
crossing  there  was  some  distance  of  swamp  to  get  over. 


DIARY   OF  HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  169 

At  the  other  side  the  headman  of  the  King  of  Womdeo, 
with  a  number  of  men,  met  me.  They  were  very  useful 
in  giving  help  to  my  carriers,  and  afterwards  they  played 
me  into  Womdeo  with  their  drums,  a  distance  of  five 
and  a  half  miles  in  two  hours. 

The  Marragi  are  interesting  pagans,  a  healthy  and 
clean-made  race,  and  their  adornments  give  them  barbaric 
splendour.  They  are  very  dark,  almost  coal-black. 
Heavy  necklaces  of  blue  and  white  beads  hang  round 
their  necks,  and  broad  armlets  of  twisted  iron  are  worn 
above  the  biceps ;  these  are  only  worn  by  the  young  men 
who  virtually  own  young  girls  at  the  houses  of  their 
mothers,  but  who  have  not  yet  reached  the  marriage 
state.  As  soon  as  they  marry,  the  men  take  off  the 
armlets,  replacing  them  by  heavy  brass  wristlets.  Cows, 
sheep,  and  the  black  Bornu  gown  are  given  as  marriage 
presents.  The  Marragi  wear  no  clothes,  except  in  the 
case  of  the  men,  who  put  on  black,  tanned  skins,  cut 
behind  into  fantastic  tails.  The  very  young  girls  wear  a 
fringe  in  front,  consisting  of  rows  of  wooden  beads  strung 
together.  As  soon  as  they  reach  the  age  of  puberty  or 
are  married,  this  is  replaced  by  pieces  of  iron  strung 
in  one  row  with  pointed  ends  which  are  curved  and  stick 
out,  giving  one  the  idea  of  protection  against  molestation, 
much  as  barbed  wire  is  used.  Lip  ornaments  consisting 
of  long  pointed  pieces  of  iron  hang  down  from  the 
lower  lip,  and  are  generally  worn  by  the  women.  The 
Marragi  build  their  villages  close  to  the  base  of  rocky 
kopjes,  which  are  often  to  be  found  in  this  part  of  the 
country  standing  isolated  in  an  otherwise  flat  country. 
During  the  Fulani  rule  over  the  Marragi  country  these 
rocky  hills,  which  lay  close  behind  their  villages,  were 
retreats  against  which  the  efforts  of  the  Fulani  horse- 
men   proved    futile.       The    Marragi    speak    a    distinct 


170  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

language   from   their   near  neighbours,  the   Kilba,  with 
whom  they  do  not  intermarry. 

September  7. — Arrived  Musa  (Kilba),  in  four  and  a  half 
hours. 

September  8. — Chibuk  in  seven  hours.  About  half  an 
hour  from  Musa  is  Gokombi,  which  marks  the  limit  of 
the  Yola  Province  in  this  direction.  The  road  to  Chibuk 
was  bad  going,  with  much  mud.  The  Chibuk  hills  are 
a  low  range  of  kopjes  from  100  to  200  feet  in  height  and 
lying  in  the  form  of  an  arc,  the  east  end  of  which  rests 
on  the  Yola-Maifoni  road.  These  hills  are  very  rocky  and 
have  many  caves  in  them,  some  large  enough  for  a  horse  to 
stand  upright.  They  were  inhabited  by  the  pagan  tribe 
called  the  Chibuks,  who  from  these  stony  strongholds 
were  in  the  habit  of  committing  outrages  upon  wayfarers, 
until  they  were  turned  out  by  us  a  few  years  ago.  Now 
at  this  time  they  are  living  in  villages  on  the  low  ground, 
a  step  in  the  right  direction  towards  the  possibility  of  the 
white  man's  getting  into  touch  with  them.  At  their 
village  to-day  I  witnessed  a  funeral  ceremony  of  an 
old  woman  who  had  died  two  days  ago.  During  the 
morning  singing  and  dancing  to  the  accompaniment  of 
drums  went  on  in  the  compound  of  the  house  in  which 
the  body  lay.  About  midday  the  body  was  taken  outside 
the  village  to  an  open  spot,  where  it  was  laid  out  upon  a 
piece  of  zana  matting  on  its  side  under  a  rough  grass 
shelter,  open  on  one  side  to  the  view.  There  were  many 
hundreds  of  men  and  women  present.  A  short  distance 
from  the  body  a  large  ring  was  formed,  where  young  girls 
with  shapely  limbs  danced  and  sang  to  the  accompani- 
ment of  drums.  Their  bodies  were  smoothly  and  lightly 
painted  with  red  earth,  and  they  were  beautifully  adorned 
with   brass   armlets  and  bracelets   and  bands  of  woven 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST   JOURNEY  171 

cowrie  shells  and  beads  round  their  legs  at  intervals, 
while  heavy  strings  of  beads,  chiefly  blue  and  white,  hung 
from  their  necks.  Their  hair,  matted  into  tight  tufts  all 
over  the  head,  was  also  covered  with  red  earth.  It  was 
pretty  to  hear  their  young  voices.  After  a  time  two 
stalwart  men,  naked  except  for  their  loin  skins,  stepped 
out  from  the  throng  and  carried  the  body  to  a  grave  which 
had  been  dug  not  far  off.  The  husband  of  the  dead 
woman,  an  old  man  followed  behind.  Then  the  body  was 
put  into  the  grave,  lying  on  its  side,  and  the  grave  filled 
in.  Next  the  old  man  stepped  forward  and  harangued  the 
crowd,  telling  them  of  the  virtues  of  his  dead  wife,  that 
he  was  still  living  but  would  eventually  come  and  lie 
beside  her  as  he  had  done  during  her  lifetime. 

The  young  men  of  this  tribe  wear  a  metal  ring  about  the 
size  of  a  half  a  crown  in  the  left  ear.  When  they  get 
married  this  is  taken  off.  The  young  women  wear  two 
rings  in  the  same  ear. 

The  Chibuks,  though  they  have  a  distinct  dialect, 
speak  in  many  cases  Kanuri.  Before  the  coming  of  the 
white  man  they  were  frequently  raided  both  by  the 
Kanuri  and  Fulani  for  slaves,  and  there  is  not  a  doubt 
they  made  these  rocky  kopjes  their  strongholds  in  conse- 
quence, where  the  Kanuri  and  Fulani  horsemen  were  to  a 
great  extent  powerless  to  pursue  them.  In  type  the 
Chibuks  are  small-featured  and  round-faced,  with  deep- 
set  eyes,  snub  noses,  and  prominent  foreheads.  The 
tribal  marks  are  three  semicircular  gashes  on  each 
cheek. 

September  10. — My  diary  to-day  will,  I  fear,  be  full  of 
"grouses,"  but  I  think  I  can  say  it  is  rare  that  I  ever 
indulge  in  them.  The  more  one  travels  in  Africa  the 
better  one  acquires  an  even  temperament,  but  perhaps  a 
"  game "  leg  like  I  have  now  helps  to  throw  it  out  of 


172  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

balance.  Soon  after  leaving  Chibuk  the  road  became 
practically  impassable,  and  for  at  least  five  miles  I  had  to 
wade  through  a  deep  morass.  My  horse  had  literally  to 
plunge  the  whole  time,  and  the  story  of  the  Kelpie's 
Flow  was  brought  vividly  to  my  mind.  Twice  the  horse 
sank  up  to  its  shoulders,  rolling  me  off  and  sinking  me  in 
deep  mud.  I  struggled  on  in  this  hazardous  fashion,  the 
sweat  pouring  from  me,  for  three  miles ;  and  then  I  gave 
it  up  and  sent  forward  for  some  of  my  strongest  carriers 
to  carry  me.  This  they  did  for  the  remaining  two  miles. 
This  is  one  of  the  main  roads  to  Bornu  !  !  It  is  in  a 
deplorable  condition  ;  not  only  the  roadway  itself,  but  at 
many  of  the  resting-towns  the  rest-houses,  or  collection 
of  huts  for  the  convenience  of  white  men  passing  through, 
which  should  be  kept  in  good  condition  by  the  chiefs  of 
the  different  towns,  are  in  a  ruinous  state.  This  state  of 
things  should  not  be  in  the  Protectorate. 

At  last  we  reached  Gumsuru,  a  Marragi  town,  after  a 
march  of  six  and  a  half  hours.  I  feel  pretty  glad  to  have 
got  here,  after  the  trying  experiences  of  to-day ;  my  foot  is 
in  a  very  painful  condition,  but  I  must  struggle  on  some- 
how. If  this  part  of  the  country  were  properly  surveyed 
I  am  sure  that  the  big  swamp,  which  I  have  just  spoken 
of,  could  be  avoided  by  making  a  detour,  but  of  course  it 
would  possibly  mean  the  lengthening  of  the  day's  march 
to  a  certain  extent. 

Gumsuru  is  a  large,  scattered  town.  On  all  sides  there 
are  nothing  but  large  tracts  of  standing  gero,  from  out  of 
which  only  the  roofs  of  the  various  settlements  can  be 
seen. 

September  11. — Beached  Girrni,  a  large  Beri  Beri  town, 
the  first  on  this  road,  and  three  days  from  Maifoni. 

September  12. — Wapti,  in  four  hours. 


DIARY   OF  HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  173 

September  13. — Mussoba,  in  four  and  a  half  hours. 
About  one  hour  before  getting  to  Dellwa,  the  king  and 
ten  men,  all  mounted,  met  me  and  brought  me  in.  They 
wore  their  best  clothes  and  looked  very  picturesque.  The 
king  has  great  proportions,  and  I  should  say  he  must 
be  an  eunuch. 

September  14. — Arrived  Dallwa,  in  three  hours ;  much 
water  on  the  road.  The  King  of  Mussoba  with  his  horse- 
men came  with  me.  In  this  country  the  people  make 
plenty  of  the  blue  dye,  the  favourite  colour  for  their 
gowns.  It  is  made  from  the  leaves  of  a  small-leafed  plant. 
They  are  picked  and  pounded  well,  then  put  in  a  hole 
lined  with  burnt  clay  and  filled  with  water.  After 
about  seven  days  the  leaves  produce  the  blue  dye  in  which 
the  clothes  are  dipped.  The  Hausa  name  for  the  plant  is 
baba. 

September  15. — Early  this  morning  the  Kachella, 
Bukar  Karga,  who  is  now  posted  at  Chibuk,  rode  into  the 
town  and  saluted  me.  He  is  the  same  man  I  caused  to 
be  flogged  at  Maifoni  in  1904.  As  we  met  the  remem- 
brance of  this  seemed  to  flash  through  both  our  minds,  but 
the  next  moment  it  had  gone  and  we  were  shaking  hands. 
A  short  time  after  the  whole  town  turned  out  to  play 
before  me  in  the  large  open  space  in  front  of  my  tent, 
which  is  pitched  under  a  shady  fig-tree.  The  band 
consisted  of  drummers,  who  led  the  people  after  them, 
and  by  marching  two  or  three  times  round  formed  the 
arena  for  the  games.  Wrestling  was  the  order  of  the  day. 
The  drummers  were  never  silent,  marching  round  and 
round  and  only  pausing  when  a  would-be  wrestler  came 
into  the  ring  to  challenge  an  antagonist,  which  he  did  by 
going  down  on  his  hands  and  running  round  the  ring  in 
monkey-like  fashion.    Then,  finding  an  opponent,  the  two 


174  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

met  and  shook  hands  and  then  marched  behind  the 
drums.  The  next  moment  one  was  conscious  of  an 
extraordinary  personality  following  these  men.  His  face 
was  the  image  of  Beerbohm  Tree's  Mephistopheles,  but 
more  massive  if  anything,  while  his  gestures,  accompanied 
by  grimaces  which  showed  a  set  of  large  teeth  all  reddened 
with  the  stain  of  kola,  greatly  enhanced  his  satanic 
appearance.  He  was  big  of  stature,  and  the  effect  was  in- 
creased by  his  long  black  gown.  Every  now  and  again  he 
clamped  his  arched  hand  with  fingers  spreading  like  claws 
upon  the  head  of  one  of  the  wrestlers,  and  at  the  same 
time  to  the  accompaniment  of  the  drums,  urged  him  to  be 
brave.  Then  he  would  stop  and  almost  amble  along 
beside  the  man,  and  the  next  moment  break  out  into 
another  invocation.  I  could  not  keep  my  eyes  off  him, 
he  fascinated  me  immensely. 

There  were  some  extremely  good  wrestlers.  Their  mode 
differs  slightly  from  that  of  the  Hausa.  The  loin  cloth  is 
caught  hold  of,  a  move  which  the  Hausas  will  not  agree 
to.  Every  time  a  victor  was  proclaimed  he  ran  and  knelt 
at  my  feet  to  receive  a  coin ;  then  he  went  to  the 
Kachella  sitting  opposite  to  me,  who  threw  him  some 
kola  nuts.  The  champion  wrestler  of  course  provoked 
roars  of  applause,  and  did  it  so  happen  that  the  victor 
was  the  favourite  amongst  the  women,  he  was  hailed  by 
them  with  shrill  cries  that  went  up  from  a  hundred 
throats. 

More  than  once  I  thought  the  "  show  "  would  fizzle 
out,  although  the  drummers  went  on  beating  incessantly, 
the  sweat  pouring  from  them ;  but  there  was  always 
some  one  to  come  forward  to  keep  things  going.  This 
time  it  was  a  cripple  beggar,  who  showed  himself  to  be 
quite  a  fair  grotesque  contortionist,  jumping  round  the 
ring  in  a  sitting  position  with   one   leg  resting  on  his 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  175 

shoulder.  He  was  a  well-known  figure  to  the  people, 
and  they  all  showed  a  kindly  pity  towards  him,  for,  when 
his  little  "  turn  "  was  over,  he  received  much  recognition 
in  the  shape  of  kola  nut.  Altogether,  the  nut  played  a 
prominent  part  in  the  proceedings  ;  not  only  was  it  the 
men's  reward  for  prowess  in  the  fight,  but  the  women 
held  some  carefully  wrapped  up  in  their  clothing  to  give 
to  those  who  successfully  begged  of  them.  At  one  time 
it  would  be  the  drummers  who  would  stand  in  front  of 
a  batch  of  women  closely  packed,  and  drum  into  their  ears 
in  order  that  some  recognition  should  be  given  them,  and 
it  was  amusing  to  watch  how  each  woman  pondered  how 
she  could  get  off  by  parting  with  the  least  possible 
amount  of  kola.  In  this  direction  "  Mephistopheles  " 
was  one  of  the  most  successful,  and  the  capacious 
pockets  in  front  of  his  loose  gown  bulged  with  cowrie 
shells  and  kola.  His  knitted  brows  and  deliberate  ges- 
tures that  emphasised  his  talk  seemed  to  cast  a  spell 
over  the  women ;  in  fact,  the  business  of  this  man 
seemed  to  be  to  enact  the  part  of  the  Spielmann.  I 
tried  to  get  a  reason  for  this ;  but  all  the  natives  I  asked 
could  not  give  me  one,  but  only  said  it  had  always  been 
so.  After  the  wrestling  bouts  had  finished,  the  crowd 
began  gradually  to  melt  away,  but  a  large  batch  of 
women  remained,  and  under  the  auspices  of  "  Mephis- 
topheles "  spread  themselves  out  in  a  semicircle  for  the 
purpose  of  giving  an  exhibition  of  their  dancing.  Soon 
there  fell  upon  the  ears  a  chorus  of  shrill  voices  accom- 
panied by  a  clapping  of  hands,  and  walking  up  and  down 
in  front  was  Mephisto,  who  would  now  and  again  pause 
to  chant  an  invocation,  which  was  echoed  back  again  by 
the  women  nearest  to  him.  While  this  was  going  on, 
two  women,  one  from  each  end  of  the  line,  would  come 
out,    and,    catching   up    their  flowing   garments   in    one 


176  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

hand,  dance  towards  each  other,  and  when  close,  sud- 
denly turn  about  and  in  the  same  moment  bump  each 
other  heavily  upon  the  buttocks.  It  is  a  curious  dance, 
and  by  no  means  elegant. 

The  mode  of  hairdressing  amongst  the  Kanuri  women 
— the  crown  closely  plaited  and  terminating  in  a  thick, 
blocked  fringe — gives  them  a  very  classical  appearance, 
and  but  for  the  hideous  custom  of  inserting  pieces  of 
imitation  coral  or  round  bits  of  wood  in  one  nostril, 
which  has  the  effect  of  splaying  out  the  nose,  they 
would  really  look  quite  handsome.  Again,  the  custom 
of  reddening  their  teeth  is  not  beautiful,  but  in  most 
cases  it  is  only  a  temporary  process  towards  whitening 
the  teeth.  To  commence  with,  the  teeth  are  rubbed 
over  with  the  juice  of  tobacco  flower,  and  then  kola  nut 
is  eaten,  which  has  the  effect  of  reddening  them.  They 
are  left  in  this  state  for  three  or  four  days,  and  then  the 
stain  is  cleaned  off  with  a  stick. 

September  16. — In  the  evening  a  very  nice  letter  came 
from  Brocklebank,  saying  that  if  I  liked  to  come  in  to 
Maifoni  there  would  be  a  house  ready  for  me. 

September  17. — Left  for  Maifoni,  and  after  a  hot  march 
of  three  and  a  half  hours  arrived  at  the  Barracks  about 
eleven  o'clock.  I  had  intended  to  find  a  suitable  camp- 
ing ground  outside  the  station  ;  but  the  whole  place 
looked  so  changed  that  I  could  not  find  my  bearings, 
and,  added  to  this,  a  heavy  tornado  was  about  to  break, 
which  drove  me  to  seek  shelter  in  the  Fort.  Here  I  was 
warmly  welcomed  by  Captain  Knox  (O.C.)  and  Lieu- 
tenant Thompson.  The  former  offered  me  his  house, 
which  is  the  one  in  which  poor  Pickles  died,  but  it 
has  been  enlarged,  and  the  flat  roof  replaced  by  a  zinc 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST   JOURNEY  177 

one  ;  in  fact,  the  whole  character  of  the  Fort  has  been 
destroyed  by  hideous  zinc  roofs  on  all  the  buildings,  and 
the  walls  outside  are  partially  hidden  by  young  trees. 
In  the  evening  I  was  asked  to  a  dinner,  which  included 
all  the  white  men  with  the  exception  of  Hewby  and 
the  doctor  (Alexander).  I  was  surprised  to  hear  from 
Brocklebank  that  the  French  had  taken  "Wadai,  and 
that  the  road  now  is  perfectly  safe.  This,  of  course, 
will  make  my  journey  much  easier,  and  I  shall  go  now 
by  Fort  Lamy. 

On  my  arrival  I  found  two  telegrams  awaiting  me — 
one  from  Jose  saying  that  he  had  left  Kano  with  five 
camels  on  September  11th,  and  the  other  from  Herbie 
asking,  "When  home?"  and  my  reply  was,  "Well; 
not  yet." 

As  soon  as  the  camels  arrive,  and  I  can  get  started 
from  here,  the  journey  should  not  take  me  more  than 
three  months  to  the  Nile. 

September  18. — Went  to  look  at  Pickles'  grave.  The 
mud  wall  of  the  graveyard  is  in  a  very  dilapidated  con- 
dition, in  places  being  almost  washed  away.  The  arms 
of  the  cross  itself  have  fallen  away  from  the  straight 
line,  while  a  stucco  pillar  has  been  made  behind  the 
body  of  the  cross  to  serve  as  a  prop.  This  has  done 
away  with  the  elegance  of  the  beautiful  cross.  The 
grave  itself  is  marked  by  a  low  border  of  cement,  while 
the  inside  is  floored  over  with  cement.  This  does  not 
look  in  keeping  with  the  cross. 

There  is  another  grave  now,  that  of  an  Assistant 
Resident  named  Stewart,  who  died  in  1906,  and  in 
November,  the  same  month  that  Pickles  died  in  two 
years  before. 

September  19. — Have   made  friends  with  the  foreman 

13 


178  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

of  works,  who  is  running  up  buildings  here,  and  he  has 
promised  me  one  of  his  men  to  help  me  put  the  cross 
to  rights  ;  in  fact,  I  shall  have  the  whole  cross  down 
and  every  section  recemented,  and  I  shall  also  take  away 
the  cement  flooring  on  the  grave  itself,  leaving  only  the 
border ;  this  will  make  it  look  less  heavy  and  be  much 
more  in  keeping  with  the  graceful  cross.  I  have  also 
engaged  labourers  to  build  up  the  mud  wall.  This  they 
can  begin  on  at  once,  as  the  rains  have  finished.  The 
country  looks  very  different  from  what  it  did  when  I 
was  up  here  last,  in  the  month  of  November,  1904 ; 
now  all  the  mimosa-trees  are  a  vivid  green,  and  over  a 
flat  country  burnt  brown  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach  the 
dark  splotches  of  thick-leaved  fig-trees  make  arresting 
landmarks.  The  little  river  is  full  just  now,  and  at 
points  the  current  is  quite  five  miles  an  hour. 

September  21. — Left  the  Fort  to  make  a  camp  about 
half  a  mile  to  the  east,  and  on  the  way  towards  the 
range.  I  have  chosen  a  good  place,  and  there  is  a  nice 
spot,  too,  under  a  shady  fig-tree  for  my  tent.  I  am  also 
putting  up  three  houses  of  zana  matting — one  as  a 
kitchen,  one  for  the  boys,  and  another  for  Jose  when 
he  comes  in.  I  thought  at  first  I  should  have  difficulty 
in  commanding  labour  to  make  the  camp ;  but  luckily 
the  headman  of  my  carriers,  who  brought  my  loads  up 
from  Yola,  has  come  forward  with  the  number  of  men 
I  want.  Brocklebank  tells  me  that  these  men  are  "  wait- 
ing on  me,"  hoping  to  get  employed  again  when  I  leave 
Maifoni ;  they  have  already  refused  an  offer  of  Govern- 
ment service.  Brocklebank  is  a  very  good  fellow,  and 
able  too,  a  hard  worker,  seldom  leaving  his  office  much 
before  dark.  He  is  liked  by  all  the  people.  Though  it 
is  only  his   first  tour  in   the   political   service,  it  is  re- 


DIARY   OF  HIS   LAST   JOURNEY  179 

markable  what  an  insight  he  has  got  into  his  work, 
which  of  course  every  year  gets  more  complicated. 

He  is  a  man  with  hobbies  too,  and  that,  I  think,  is 
everything  out  here.  He  has  three  most  serviceable 
bullock  wagons  which  he  brought  out  with  him  from 
Europe.  Each  can  carry  about  two  tons,  and  is  drawn 
by  ten  oxen.  It  is  no  child's  play  having  to  break  them 
in  ;  the  Bornu  oxen  are  not  used  to  harness,  since  they 
are  either  ridden  or  treated  as  beasts  of  burden.  Just 
outside  the  station  he  has  quite  a  farm,  and  his  herd 
at  the  present  moment  numbers  something  like  fifty 
head,  a  magnificent  lot. 

My  distance  from  the  station  gives  me  the  oppor- 
tunity of  a  walk  in  the  morning,  and  this  I  take  as 
far  as  the  graveyard  to  see  how  the  new  wall  is  getting 
on,  and  then  in  the  evening  I  ride  on  the  road  towards 
Geidam,  always  in  the  faint  hope  of  meeting  with  Jose, 
but  the  sun  goes  down  a  red  ball  in  the  west,  the  sandy 
road  in  front  looks  whiter  than  ever,  and  down  it  no 
camels  wend  their  way.  To  effect  a  junction  of  one's 
forces  over  long  distances  is  always  difficult,  and  until  it 
comes  about  one  cannot  help  feeling  anxious. 

September  25. — While  sitting  outside  my  tent  this  even- 
ing I  caught  sight  of  one  of  the  official  messengers 
coming  towards  me,  carrying  the  usual  long,  blue 
envelope.    I  opened  the  letter,  which  read  as  follows  : — 

Maidugari,  25  September,  1909- 
Sib, — as  I  understand  that  your  sojourn  in  this  neigh- 
bourhood will  extend  over  a  short  period,  I  consider  the 
opportunity  too  good  to  be  lost  for  clearing  up  a  point 
that  has  troubled  the  administration  at  headquarters,  and 
upon  which  other  distinguished  travellers  have  disagreed, 
and  I  venture  to  present  to  you  a  problem  that  interests 


180  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

the  travelled  world,  in  the  confident  belief  that  your  well- 
known  insight  into  abstruse  questions  of  this  nature  will 
find  an  easy  solution  to  it. 

As  you  are  aware,  Barth,  in  the  fifties,  wrote  of  this 
country  that  the  Kanuri  were  a  cognate  element  of  the 
Bornu  Empire  in  the  thirteenth  century.  Nachtigal  in 
the  seventies  wrote  that  the  name  Kanuri  was  of  relatively 
recent  date,  they  were  not  an  original  tribe,  but  a 
collection  of  people.  Which  of  these  travellers  is  right 
in  his  research  ? 

I  have,  &c, 

(Signed)     W.  P.  Hewbt. 

I  took  a  considerable  amount  of  trouble  to  answer  this 
as  far  as  I  could,  besides  sending  with  it  a  private  note. 

September  29. — I  have  received  no  reply  or  ac- 
knowledgement from  Hewby  to  my  letter  of   the  25th. 

From  native  information  I  have  been  able  to  get  some 
interesting  notes  on  the  history  of  the  Kanuri  people. 
The  numerous  races  in  Bornu  made  Nachtigal  come  to 
the  conclusion  that  the  Bornu  Empire  had  been  com- 
posed of  nothing  more  than  "  a  collection  of  peoples," 
and  that  the  Kanuri  were  not  the  original  builders  of  the 
Empire.  Barth,  on  the  other  hand,  held  the  opposite 
view — that  the  Kanuri  were  cognate  with  the  Empire, 
and  I  cannot  help  sharing  his  opinion,  when  the  following 
facts  are  considered. 

The  Kanuri  are  supposed  to  have  come  from  Yemen  to 
Fezzan  and  then  penetrated  into  the  Sahara  by  way  of 
Shirhit. 

In  the  thirteenth  century  they  founded  the  capital  of 
their  "  Empire  "  at  Birni,  the  ruins  of  which  are  still 
extant,  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Yo  Biver,  and  a  two  days' 


One  of  Captain  Brocklebank's  Ox  Waggons. 


-■■*c. 


A    GOATHERD    AND    111^   CHARGE    IN    A    VIL1   \>.K   i    \llll.    ENCLOSURE. 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  181 

march  to  the  east  of  Geidam.  When  considering  the 
distribution  of  the  races  in  Bornu  at  the  present  day 
there  seems  to  be  no  doubt  that  the  Birni  dynasty 
spread  over  the  western  and  southern  portions  of  Bornu, 
and  to  within  five  days  of  Kano,  subjugating  and  inter- 
marrying with  the  following  tribes — Ghamerhgu,  Man- 
dara,  Kotoko,  Marragi,  Baliwa,  and  Manga.  All  these 
tribes  paid  tribute  to  the  Kanuri.  It  is  quite  probable  that 
the  Manga  were  the  forerunners  of  the  Kanuri  race,  and 
settled  in  the  country  before  those  who  founded  Birni. 
Then  in  the  country  lying  near  the  western  shores  of  Lake 
Chad  we  find  several  local  races  of  a  different  element,  who, 
to  my  mind,' mark  the  extreme  western  distribution  of  the 
Kanembu  race,  with  Kanem  as  the  proper  centre.  They 
are  the  Tubu  (Yo  River),  Mobbur  (south  bank  Yo),  Kurio, 
and  Kwoyam.  According  to  native  information,  which  I 
have  obtained  from  true  descendants  of  the  Birni  people, 
the  above  races  were  in  the  land  before  the  founding  of 
the  Birni  capital,  and  therefore  are  a  separate  element 
from  the  Kanuri.  Besides,  the  method  of  hair-dressing 
with  the  women  of  these  races  is  entirely  different  from 
that  of  the  Kanuri,  and  consists  in  the  hair  being  trained 
in  a  long  curtain-like  fringe  all  round  the  head,  identical 
with  the  Kanembu  method.  Also  we  find  that  these 
races  speak  Kanuri  imperfectly.  When  the  Fulani  raid 
under  Usman  from  the  West  attacked  Birni  in  the  reign 
of  the  Kanuri  king,  Maiarri,  the  ancient  capital  of  the 
Kanuri  was  sacked  and  destroyed  with  great  bloodshed 
and  the  remnants  of  the  inhabitants  fled  to  Gashagar, 
where,  according  to  report,  they  stayed  for  seven  days, 
afterwards  going  south  to  Mongonnu,  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  which  town  they  made  a  settlement. 

At  the  same  time  the  Kanembu  Mallam,  Laminu,  led  a 
crusade  from  Kanem  into  Bornu  against  the  Fulani.     For 


182  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

some  time  he  sat  down  at  Ngornu,  but  was  eventually 
driven  from  there,  and  penetrating  into  Bornu  attacked 
the  Fulani  and  drove  them  out  from  Birni,  just  forty 
days  after  the  occupation  of  the  capital  by  the  latter. 
After  this  event  Laminu  founded  and  built  Kukawa. 
During  his  reign  the  remnants  of  the  Kanuri  from  Birni 
came  under  his  protection,  and  they  built  for  them- 
selves the  town  of  Ghamberu,  near  Kukawa,  where  they 
remained  until  it  was  broken  by  Kabeh. 

With  the  settling  of  Laminu  at  Kukawa  the  true 
Kanembu  element  was  introduced  into  Bornu,  and  except 
for  intermarriage  which  took  place  between  them  and 
the  Birni  remnants,  the  Kanembu  must  be  looked  upon 
as  a  separate  element  from  the  original  Kanuri. 

As  regards  the  origin  of  the  Buduma  of  Lake  Chad, 
tradition  says  they  were  brought  into  Bornu  by  the 
Kanuri  during  the  Birni  occupation,  and  were  most 
probably  their  slaves  ;  that  after  Birni  was  destroyed  they 
tied  to  the  Shari,  where  they  endeavoured  to  establish 
themselves  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Gulfei  but  were 
eventually  driven  away  and  compelled  to  seek  refuge  on 
Lake  Chad,  where  their  descendants  remain  to  this  day. 
The  Buduma  canoe,  though  built  of  rush,  strongly 
resembles  in  shape  the  Kotoko  canoe,  which  they  probably 
took  as  their  model.* 

I  have  not  seen  the  Birni  ruins,  but  I  am  told  that 
they  show  that  the  buildings  must  have  been  remarkably 
strong  and  good  in  structure,  and  that  the  bricks  to-day 
are  as  good  as  on  the  day  they  were  first  made.  I  have 
seen  a  specimen  at  Maifoni,  which  is  well  shaped  and  as 
hard  as  iron  ;  no  brick  like  it  can  be  turned  out  here. 

*  I  do  not  now  think  this  is  correct.  I  have  since  been  told  that 
the  Buduma  came  with  the  Mallam  Laminu  the  same  time  as  the 
Shuai  people. — Author. 


DIARY    OF   HIS   LAST  JOURNEY 


183 


The  first  question  I  asked  myself  was,  how  did  a 
native  race  like  the  Kanuri  get  a  knowledge  of  brick- 
making  which  is  the  handiwork  of  a  white  people  ?  And 
the  answer  seemed  to  me  to  be  that  in  the  days 
when  Birni  was  built  doubtless  the  people  of  Bornu 
were  far  more  dependent  on,  and  therefore  in  closer 
contact  with,  the  Tripoli  caravans  than  at  the  present  day. 
Indeed,  the  Mallam  at  Kontogora,  who  is  a  true  descen- 
dant of  the  Birni  people,  has  borne  me  out  in  this 
solution.  He  says  that  a  certain  number  of  Kanuri 
obtained  their  knowledge  of  brickmaking  from  Tripoli, 
whence  they  brought  with  them  the  wooden  frames 
necessary  for  shaping  the  bricks.  He  also  told  me  the 
interesting  fact  that  the  clay  was  mixed  with  the  blood 
of  bullocks,  which  had  the  effect  of  binding  and  hardening 
it — a  rather  costly  cement !  but  then  in  those  days  their 
herds  of  oxen  were  counted  by  the  hundred.  After  the 
destruction  of  Birni,  this  art  of  brickmaking  died  out, 
perhaps  because  the  Fulani  took  good  care  to  kill  all  the 
brickmakers,  who  had  reared  against  them  such  a 
formidable  town  as  Birni.* 

In   conclusion,   the    distribution    of    the   Kanuri   and 
Kanem  races  in  Bornu  may  be  classed  as  follows : — 


Kanuri. 

Kanembu. 

Mandara 

Tubu 

Races  which  the  Kanuri  sub- 

Ghamerghu 

Mobbur 

jugated   and   absorbed  by 

Marragi 

Kurio 

inter-marriage. 

Kotoko 
Baliwa 

Kwoyam 

Probably  the  fore-runners  of 

Manga 

the  founders  of  Birni. 

*  There  are  buildings  in  Machena  composed  of  bricks  from  Birni. 
It  is  said  that  the  Machena  people  bought  a  large  quantity  from  the 
Birni  people. — Author. 


184  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

That  the  Kanuri  are  an  ancient  race  I  have  no  doubt 
whatever,  and  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  local  races 
should  not  have  sprung  from  the  original  stock,  for  there 
is  a  natural  tendency  with  all  pastoral  peoples  to  lead  a 
clannish  and  hamlet  existence.  Moreover,  when  re- 
garding the  Kanuri  of  the  present  day,  especially  the 
remnants  of  the  old  stock,  there  are  evident  signs  of  racial 
deterioration.  The  men  of  the  higher  classes  are  effete 
and  degenerate.  On  the  other  hand,  the  women  are 
exceptionally  strong  and  healthy-looking,  their  birth-rate 
more  than  doubling  the  males,  a  condition  that  points,  I 
believe,  to  a  last  "flicker"  in  an  ancient  race  on  the 
down  grade. 

The  name  Bere-Bere,  which  has  been  given  to  the 
Kanuri  by  the  Hausa,  seems  curiously  fitting,  for  in  any 
business  transaction  the  Kanuri  far  excel  the  Hausa  in  the 
way  of  "  gaff,"  so  much  so  that  there  is  a  common  saying 
that  the  talk  of  five  Kanuri  is  equal  to  ten  of  the  others. 
Hence  one  could  imagine  how  the  Hausa,  getting  im- 
patient of  the  Kanuri's  talk,  would  exclaim  "Bere-bere!" 
meaning  in  Hausa  "  Stop,  stop  !"  Is  it  possible  that  this 
is  the  derivation  of  the  name? 

From  an  agricultural  point  of  view  Bornu  is  a  rich 
country,  with  vast  fields  of  "  gero  "  and  "dawa"  every- 
where. As  soon  as  the  harvest  of  gero  is  finished,  the 
crop  of  dawa  comes  on. 

In  this  land  towards  sunset  a  sight  which  is  familiar  at 
every  village  is  the  slow-moving  clouds  of  dust  which 
mark  though  they  curtain  from  the  eye  flocks  of  sheep  and 
cattle  being  driven  into  their  zarebas  for  the  night. 

October  6. — About  3  o'clock  this  morning  I  was 
awakened  by  San  Thome,  who  was  lying  at  the  foot  of 
my  bed,  growling  and  dashing  out  like  a  streak  of  greased 
lightning  at  some  one  outside.     I  raised  myself  up,  rubbed 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  185 

my  eyes,  and  saw  a  number  of  shadows  in  front  of  my 
tent,  while  behind  them  were  swaying  forms  that 
suggested  the  heads  of  immense  gargoyles.  The  next 
moment  I  heard  the  welcome  voice  of  Jose,  who  had 
arrived  with  the  camels  from  Kano.  In  the  meantime 
San  Thome  had  done  his  best  to  take  a  piece  out  of  Jose's 
finger. 

The  camels  are  all  fairly  good,  but  a  little  thin  after 
their  long  trek,  and  two  of  them  have  saddle  galls. 
Before  I  attempt  to  go  on  I  shall  give  them  a  rest 
for  about  three  weeks.  I  shall  probably  go  out  to 
Kondaga,  about  twenty  miles  from  here  on  the  Dikoa 
road,  where  I  am  told  there  is  good  feed  for  camels.  On 
Jose's  way  through  Bautchi,  Major  McClintock,  the 
Resident,  was  very  kind  to  him  and  gave  him  a  letter  to 
Temple  at  Kano  asking  him  to  help  him  in  getting  the 
camels. 

When  he  arrived  there  Neild,  the  transport  officer, 
helped  him  a  great  deal,  selling  him  two  of  the  Govern- 
ment camels,  as  he  could  only  get  three  in  the  market. 
It  was  a  bad  time  to  buy  camels,  for,  being  the  wet 
season,  very  few  come  down  to  Kano.  The  prices  were 
from  £4  to  £5  each.  During  the  rains  the  camels  go  to 
the  north  of  Kano  to  the  Damerghrum  country. 

I  must  also  mention  Major  Booth,  the  Resident  at 
Geidam.  When  Jose  arrived  there  Booth  at  once  gave 
him  the  rest-house  to  stay  in,  and  had  wood  and  water 
sent  down  to  him.  Such  kindnesses  are  always  a  pleasure 
to  remember. 

Notes  on  the  Occupation  of  Bornu  by  Rabeh.* 

The  first  event  of  importance  that  marked  the  penetra- 

*  Rabeh,  sometimes  called  the  Black  Napoleon,  was  a  Furian  by 
birth,  and  became  the  slave  of  Zubeir  Pasha,  the  great  slave-raider 


186  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

tion  of  Rabeh  into  Bornu  was  the  sacking  and  destruction 
of  Kukawa.  He  entered  Bornu  by  way  of  Ngornu  after 
leaving  Logone  and  Kussuri  in  the  charge  of  his  lieu- 

who  was  afterwards  ruler  of  the  Bahr-el-Ghazel  Province  under  the 
Egyptian  Government.  Zubeir  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  Suleiman, 
who  rebelled  against  Egypt  in  1878  but  was  defeated  and  induced  to 
submit.  Rabeh,  however,  who  had  by  this  time  become  a  chief,  a 
rank  he  had  won  by  his  military  services,  refused  to  give  in  and 
escaped  westward  with  a  small  band  of  armed  men.  After  several 
years'  fighting,  he  established  his  own  kingdom  at  Dar  Runga,  between 
Wadai  and  Darfur.  In  1891  he  failed  in  an  attack  on  Wadai  and 
retired  farther  west.  Then  years  of  fighting  followed  in  subduing 
kingdoms  and  making  treaties  till  he  eventually  established  his  capital 
at  Dikoa.  It  was  in  1899  that  Rabeh,  who  was  a  hater  of  the  white 
man's  rule,  came  in  contact  with  the  French  Mission  under  Gentil,  and 
defeated  and  annihilated  a  French  force  at  the  Togbau  Hills.  Later 
in  the  same  year  he  met  the  French  again  at  Kuno,  which,  though  a 
drawn  battle,  shook  his  strength  so  severely  that  the  heart  was  taken 
out  of  his  resistance.  But  once  back  in  Dikoa,  he  lost  no  time  in 
making  preparations  for  a  great  and  final  effort,  and  on  April  22, 
1900,  gave  battle  to  the  French  under  Major  Lamy  near  Kusseri.  The 
battle  was  most  hardly  contested,  but  in  the  end  Rabeh  was  defeated 
and  killed.  In  the  account  which  is  given  in  my  brother's  book  the 
fortunes  and  the  fate  of  this  splendid  fighter  are  summed  up  in  these 
words  :  "  So  died  in  greatness  Rabeh,  the  slave  boy  who  out  of  his 
genius  for  war  had  created  a  kingdom  and  carried  it  through  a  con- 
tinent upon  the  points  of  his  spears." 

The  French  leader,  Major  Lamy,  was  also  killed  in  the  battle,  and 
the  account  which  Boyd  gives  makes  the  wounded  Rabeh  himself  kill 
Major  Lamy,  in  the  same  moment  getting  his  own  mortal  wound,  so 
that  as  the  story  goes,  "  the  two  great  chiefs  fell  apart — dead."  The 
French,  however,  say  that  this  is  not  correct  and  that  although  both 
leaders  were  slain  in  the  fight  there  was  no  connection  in  their  deaths. 
Boyd  was  always  greatly  fascinated  by  the  personality  of  Rabeh,  and 
in  his  travels  whenever  opportunity  occurred  gathered  details  of  the 
great  fighter's  history  from  native  sources.  Several  of  his  own  escort 
had  fought  under  Rabeh  in  these  very  battles  against  the  French,  and 
they  used  to  be  drawn  by  Jose  into  telling  their  stories  round  the 
camp  fire  at  night.  In  this  way  some  interesting  things  concerning 
Rabeh,  not  known  before  to  the  white  man,  were  brought  to  light  and 
appear  in  the  notes  upon  Rabeh  which  my  brother  gives  in  his  book. 
However,  as  we  have  seen  in  the  case  above,  these  stories  though 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  187 

tenant.  His  force  consisted  of  ten  flags,  or  something 
like  2,000  men,  but  it  was  weak  in  cavalry.  Holding 
commands  in  his  army  were  his  two  sons,  Faderella  and 
Mama  N'yebbi,  and  also  the  famous  Babirr,  in  whom 
Rabeh  found  a  captain  worthy  of  himself;  but  N'yebbi,  a 
fiery  youth,  did  not  altogether  gain  the  confidence  of  his 
father.  It  is  told  of  him  that  he  used  to  enter  his  father's 
mosque,  with  the  object  of  making  a  disturbance  while 
the  Mallams  were  at  prayer,  until  he  was  driven  out  and 
forbidden  to  enter  any  more.  Then  in  defiance  he  went  off 
and  set  up  a  rival  mosque.  On  reaching  Kukawa,  Rabeh 
found  it  deserted,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  Arab 
traders  who  came  out  to  meet  him.  On  his  line  of  march 
this  was  what  generally  happened,  but  when  the  in- 
habitants of  the  village  or  town  remained  to  welcome 
him,  the  place  was  always  spared,  while  any  soldier  of  his 
who  was  found  looting  or  molesting  the  people  was 
flogged,  and  a  man  guilty  of  an  offence  after  his  third 
flogging  was  shot. 

But  in  cases  where  towns  were  deserted,  or  proved  hos- 
tile on  his  approach,  the  soldiers  were  allowed  to  loot,  but 
restrictions  were  always  made  in  this  respect ;  gown  cloth, 
&c,  could  be  retained  by  the  looters,  but  all  slaves,  horses, 
and  cattle  were  brought  in  to  Rabeh,  who  as  a  rule 
took  half,  the  other  half  being  divided  among  the 
soldiers.  The  night  before  Rabeh  entered  Kukawa, 
the  Shehu,  Ashimi,  and  his  brother  Kiari  fled  with  all 

picturesque  are  not  always  accurate.  Curiously  enough,  very  much 
the  same  idea  occurs  in  the  description  of  another  chief's  death, 
which  Boyd  gleaned  also  from  native  sources  and  gives  in  the 
present  diary  (p.  157).  I  have  sometimes  thought  that  the  explanation 
might  be  that  it  is  a  picturesque  convention  of  the  native  historian 
always  to  make  a  hero  die  killing  an  enemy.  Certainly  the  colour 
of  truth  is  lent  to  the  story  of  Rabeh's  death  by  the  fact  that  the 
French  commander  was  also  killed  in  the  battle. — Ed. 


188  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

their  followers  in  the  direction  of  Geidam,  where  it 
appears  they  separated,  Ashimi  establishing  his  quarters 
at  Mana,  near  the  Gujiba-Geidam  road,  and  Kiari  at 
Gumsar,  a  day's  march  from  Mana,  where  the  latter 
rallied  his  followers  with  the  intention  not  only  of 
marching  against  Rabeh,  but  of  usurping  his  brother's 
rights  as  Shehu  of  Bornu.  Kiari  was  brave  and  a  born 
soldier,  and  had  won  the  hearts  of  his  men,  not  only  by 
his  personal  prowess,  but  also  by  his  custom  of  giving 
largesse.  Unfortunately  for  him,  he  was  a  victim  to  the 
ravages  of  a  malignant  disease,  and  seldom  uncovered  his 
face,  his  nose  practically  having  been  eaten  away,  and 
his  speech  was  so  much  affected  that  there  was  only  one 
person  amongst  his  people,  a  Mallam,  who  could  under- 
stand him. 

Having  decided  upon  his  action,  Kiari  sent  a  messenger 
to  Ashimi,  telling  him  that  he  intended  to  become  a 
Shehu,  and  at  the  same  time  asking  him  to  join  him 
against  Babeh.  But  Ashimi  refused,  saying  that  there 
could  not  be  two  kings  of  Bornu.  Later  Ashimi  came 
in  to  see  Kiari,  who  received  him  with  so  much  royal 
pomp  that  Ashimi,  reputed  for  his  meanness,  exclaimed : 
"  What  does  all  this  mean?  I  have  never  been  brought 
up  in  this  way  of  living;  my  men  will  desert  me."  He 
thereupon  refused  to  have  anything  to  do  with  Kiari, 
and  returned  to  Mana.  Meanwhile  Kiari  was  made  to 
believe  through  slanderous  reports  that  his  brother  was 
preparing  to  fight  him,  and  this  decided  Kiari  to  have 
him  killed.  The  murderers  reached  Mana  in  the  early 
morning  and  found  Ashimi  sitting  on  his  mat  at  prayer. 
He  was  immediately  shot. 

His  force  thus  augmented  by  Ashimi's  followers,  Kiari 
marched  to  Gashagar,  and  thence  went  out  to  meet 
Rabeh,  who  was  advancing  from  Kukawa.     At  a   place 


DIARY  OF  HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  189 

called  Ladibida,  five  hours  from  Gash  agar,  the  two 
forces  met,  and  Kiari  defeated  Rabeh,  who  was  obliged 
to  retire  into  the  bush.  All  his  baggage,  however,  fell 
into  the  hands  of  Kiari,  whose  men  at  once  started 
looting,  and  all  discipline  was  thrown  to  the  winds. 
Boxes  were  broken  open,  and  Rabeh' s  treasures  scattered 
on  the  ground.  But,  taking  advantage  of  Kiari' s  de- 
moralisation, Rabeh  again  returned  to  the  attack  and 
reversed  the  fortunes  of  the  day  and  put  his  enemy  to 
flight.  In  vain  did  Kiari  try  to  save  the  day,  and  by 
his  personal  bravery  won  the  admiration  of  Rabeh.  In 
the  fight  he  seemed  to  bear  a  charmed  life,  and  no  bullet 
would  touch  him.  Then  Rabeh  commanded  one  of  his 
men  to  shoot  down  Kiari's  horse.  This  being  done, 
Kiari  was  surrounded  and  captured.  But,  in  admiration 
for  his  bravery,  Rabeh  offered  to  spare  his  life  provided 
Kiari  would  serve  under  him ;  but  the  brave  Kiari  refused 
all  his  offers,  saying  that  he  was  no  slave.  He  was  then 
put  on  a  horse  and  led  into  Gashagar,  where  again  Rabeh 
tried  to  persuade  him;  but  it  was  of  no  avail,  so  Rabeh 
commanded  his  executioners  to  kill  him,  his  throat  being 
first  cut  and  then  the  head  severed  from  the  body.  After- 
wards the  head  was  put  in  a  box  with  salt  and  sent  into 
Dikoa,  and  the  body  was  thrown  into  the  river. 

It  was  Rabeh's  policy  to  spare  every  one's  life  provided 
he  agreed  to  follow  him.  This  is  how  he  increased  his 
army  when  on  the  march.  Those  agreeing  to  fight  for 
him  were  told  off  to  the  various  "  flags,"  and,  did  they 
prove  themselves  capable,  were  given  guns  after  the  fifth 
or  sixth  day,  each  man  receiving  seven  dollars  a  month. 

After  the  destruction  of  Kiari's  force  Rabeh  made  a 
tour  through  Bornu  by  Geidam,  Gumsar,  and  Marte, 
but  he  received  no  further  opposition.  He  then  estab- 
lished his   headquarters   at   Dikoa,  where  we  find  him 


190  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

making  preparations  to  found  a  vast  kingdom  stretching 
from  Kano  and  Damerghrum  on  the  west  to  Wadai  on 
the  east.     His  reign  over  Bornu  lasted  seven  years. 

Babeh's  order  of  march  was  as  follows :  First  came  an 
advance  guard  of  horsemen ;  next  the  women  and  boys 
and  baggage ;  then  Rabeh  himself  and  his  staff ;  and 
finally  a  rear  guard  of  mounted  men  and  infantry,  and 
then  there  were  infantry  supports  on  either  wing. 

He  always  kept  himself  in  a  central  position,  so  as  to 
be  able  to  render  assistance  at  any  threatened  point.  If 
he  was  attacked  either  on  the  right  or  left  flank,  he 
would  at  once  move  up  to  the  threatened  point,  the  rear 
guard  at  the  same  time  moving  up  to  protect  the  women 
and  baggage. 

His  method  of  attacking  a  village  or  town  marks  his 
qualities  as  a  soldier.  A  general  enveloping  movement 
would  be  made  with  both  flanks  doubled  forward,  whose 
duties  were  to  cut  off  retreat  should  success  attend  the 
attack,  which  was  always  directed  against  the  centre  of 
a  town  by  a  force  directly  behind  the  advancing  line. 

Should  he  arrive  before  a  town  too  late  to  deliver  an 
assault  the  same  day,  he  had  high  platforms  erected  on 
which  he  stationed  sentries  to  overlook  the  exits  of  the 
town. 

October  15. — There  was  the  first  harmattan  to-day. 
Whether  this  is  altogether  due  to  minute  particles  of 
sand  blown  from  the  desert  is,  I  think,  open  to  doubt. 
Certainly  there  are  many  days  with  the  north  wind 
prevailing  when  the  atmosphere  is  perfectly  clear.  On 
the  other  hand,  in  December,  when  the  grass  fires  are 
burning,  the  atmosphere  becomes  very  thick,  and  one 
gets  the  typical  aspect  of  the  "harmattan,"  when  the 
branches  of  the  trees  are  coated  with  a  dust-like  layer, 
much  like  hoar-frost  to  look  at.     This  may  be  sand,  but 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST   JOURNEY  191 

I  think  it  is  more  likely  to  be  fine  ash,  although  we 
cannot  altogether  disregard  the  presence  of  sand,  for 
we  know  how  in  places  in  the  desert  the  surface  has 
been  formed  into  billowing  sand  dunes  by  the  wind. 
Brocklebank  holds  to  the  ash  theory,  and  he  says  he 
can  make  a  "  harmattan  "  to  order  (and  has  done  so) 
by  burning  grass  the  day  before,  the  whole  air  becoming 
thick  with  fine  ash  the  next  day. 

October  17. — Yelua,  the  present  town  of  the  Shehu, 
and  situated  half-way  on  the  road  between  Maifoni 
and  Maidugari,  is  a  rambling  and  poor  place  after 
Kukawa.  The  streets  are  badly  laid  out,  while  the 
palace  and  the  houses  of  the  "big  men"  cannot  hold  a 
candle  to  those  at  Kukawa,  where  the  "big  men's  "  houses 
line  the  sides  of  a  wide  approach  from  the  market  to 
the  square  building  of  the  palace  itself,  a  distance  of 
quite  half  a  mile.  But  Kukawa  is  a  mass  of  ruins  now, 
and  grass  grows  in  the  streets,  and  the  tombs  of  the 
former  Shehus  lie  unprotected.  0  Kukawa,  how  is 
thy  glory  departed ! 

I  have  been  more  than  once  to  the  Maidugari  market. 
It  is  now,  since  Kukawa  has  been  abandoned,  much 
larger  than  it  was  when  I  was  last  here  in  1904.  The 
market  has  just  now  been  fenced  in,  and  the  system 
of  gate-money  (one-tenth  of  a  penny)  instituted.  This 
is  excellent,  as  it  does  away  with  the  extortions  of  the 
Serekin  Kasua,*  who,  although  he  had  only  the  right 
to  charge  5  per  cent,  on  all  transactions,  it  was  well 
known  levied  pretty  well  what  he  liked.  Now  all  this 
is  done  away  with  and  he  receives  a  fixed  sum  every 
month  out   of  the  gate-money.      The   market  has   also 

*  A  Serekin  Kasua,  or  king  of  the  market,  is  appointed  to  each 
market  as  umpire  in  all  disputes  arising  between  buyers  and  sellers. 
He  also  fixes  the  prevailing  prices  for  the  day. — Ed. 


192  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

grown  in  extent.  Sellers,  fearing  no  more  extortions, 
bring  more  things  than  they  used  to.  A  stall-holder 
pays  fourpence  per  month. 

Went  to  the  Salla.  This  is  the  Mahommedan  Christ- 
mas, lasting  for  three  days.  It  is  made  the  occasion 
for  the  Kachellas  and  their  people  to  come  in  to  the 
Shehu,  who  generally  gives  presents  to  them  and  the 
headmen. 

A  large  tent,  very  much  like  that  of  a  travelling  circus, 
had  been  erected  outside  Yelua,  and  here  at  eight  o'clock 
came  the  Shehu  with  his  retinue  to  offer  up  a  thanks- 
giving. Before  his  arrival  Kachellas  were  coming  in 
from  all  parts  with  their  horseman  and  bands,  the  horses 
richly  caparisoned  and  hung  with  coats.  The  clear  blue 
sky  and  the  brightly  shining  sun  brought  out  the  medley 
of  colours  to  perfection.  Prayers  from  the  Koran  were 
said  by  the  Head  Mallam  inside  the  tent,  while  on  a 
large  cleared  space  outside  stood  many  Mallams  and 
devout  worshippers,  the  majority  in  turbans  and  clothes 
of  white.  Facing  the  east,  row  on  row  they  stood 
upright  and  listened  to  the  prayer  that  came  from  the 
Mallam  within,  and  as  the  words,  "Allah  hak  a  buk" 
rang  out,  which  told  of  its  ending,  all  with  one  accord 
prostrated  themselves  on  the  ground  and  the  whole 
congregation  became  a  sea  of  bended  backs.  And  so 
it  was  repeated  after  each  prayer.  During  the  fasting, 
which  lasts  for  a  month,  they  do  not  drink  between 
sunrise  and  sunset,  and  strict  Mahommedans  live  apart 
from  their  wives. 

October  20. — At  last  we  are  ready  for  a  move  from 
Maifoni,  and  I  have  decided  to  stay  for  a  short  time 
at   Konduga,   where   the   Kachella,   Kakami,*   lives.      I 

*  Much  is  told  of  this  chief  in  "From  the  Niger  to  the  Nile." 
Kakami  was  at  that  time  (1904)  Kachella  of  Yo,  a  post  he  held  under 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  193 

hear  that  it  is  a  good  place  for  camels.     This  will  be 
all  on  my  way,  as  it  is  on  the  road  to  Dikoa. 

We  stayed  the  night  at  Waluri,  about  two  and  a  half 
hours  from  Maifoni.  I  am  making  a  route  sketch  (prismatic 
and  pacing).  On  the  way  to  Waluri,  a  vast  expanse  of 
flat  country,  nearly  all  cultivated,  stretches  away  to  the 
horizon,  dotted  here  and  there  with  thick-leaved  trees 
growing  singly  or  in  belts.  The  crops  of  "  gero  "  have 
been  gathered,  and  there  still  remains  the  guinea-corn 
which  has  grown  up  sparsely  amongst  the  former  crop. 

October  21. — A  three  hours'  march  brought  us  to 
Konduga,  and  we  took  up  our  quarters  in  the  rest- 
house.  Konduga  is  a  fairly  large  town,  all  Bere-Bere, 
and  it  has  once  been  walled.  Cloth-dyeing  is  carried 
on  a  good  deal,  and  there  is  a  large  market.  In  the 
evening  Jose  and  I  went  round  the  town,  and  were 
greeted  by  many  old  friends  whom  we  knew  at  Yo 
when  the  Kachella  was  there. 

October  24. — Bad  attack  of  fever,  with  ague  and 
vomiting. 

October  25. — Convalescent.  The  Kachella,  who  has 
been  away  at  Yelua,  came  in  to-day,  and  hearing  that 
I  had  been  ill  came  up  at  once  to  see  me.  He  is  a 
black  gentleman,  and  likes  the  white  man.  This  rest- 
house  is  unbearable  ;  a  marsh  close  by  provides  it  with 
plenty  of  mosquitoes,  who  rest  not  day  nor  night.  I  shall 
move  to-morrow,  the  Kachella  having  promised  to  make 

the  Shehu  as  a  man  strong  enough  to  stand  up  to  the  Tubu  robbers 
who  were  for  ever  raiding  across  the  border.  Boyd  describes  him  as 
by  far  the  bravest  and  noblest  chief  he  had  met  with  in  Africa.  In 
his  book  he  gives  an  account  of  the  exciting  time  when  he  went  to 
the  relief  of  Kakami  and  a  Mecca  caravan,  who  were  besieged  in 
Bulturi. — Ed. 

14 


194  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

me  a  camp  with  zana  matting  outside  the   north  end 
of  the  town. 

November  1. — Left  for  Maifoni  to  settle  up  things 
finally,  chiefly  to  get  £50  from  Brocklebank,  to  whom 
I  had  given  a  cheque. 

November  3. — Two  men   were  hanged  in   Maidugari 
market   to-day.     The    Shehu's  court  is  now  allowed  to 
condemn  to  death,  this  being  the  third  instance.     The 
culprits   were   notorious  highway   robbers,    the    like    of 
whom  are   numerous   in    Bornu,   especially   among  the 
Shuas,  who  freely  use  the  knife.     The  condemned  left 
the   native    prison   at  Yelua  to   tramp   the   long,  dusty 
road  to  Maidugari   market,  where   they   were   to   meet 
their  fate.     The  escort  consisted  of  a  posse  of  the  Shehu's 
soldiers  armed  and  dressed  in  the  Rabeh  uniform.     The 
whole   party  was  in   charge   of    the   Adjir   of   Maifoni, 
accompanied  by  mounted  men   and   the   executioner,  a 
man  with  a  giant's  presence.     It  was  getting  near  mid- 
day and  the  market  had  assumed  its  busiest  aspect,  the 
stalls  were  packed,  and  every  one,  both  buyers  and  sellers, 
were  making  the  most  of  the  only  market  day  in   the 
week.     Hardly    any    one    noticed    the    cavalcade   as  it 
passed  through   the  gate   and   swung  to  the   right,  till 
the   drummers   of   the   party   struck  up   announcing  its 
arrival.     The  drums  only  ceased  when  the  first  corner 
of   the   market   was   reached.     Here   in   the   immediate 
vicinity  silence  fell  upon  the  market,  and  the  condemned 
men,  with  hands  pinioned  behind  their  backs  and  ropes 
round  their  necks,  were  made  each  in  turn  to  step  for- 
ward and  speak  out  the  offence  they  had  committed,  for 
which  they  were  now  going  to  their  death.     Then  the 
party  closed  up  and  marched   on,  the  drums   of  death 
sounding  loud  and  strong  the  while.     The  second,  third, 


DIARY  OF   HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  195 

and  fourth  corners  were  reached,  where  the  same  acts 
were  performed,  and  then  they  marched  to  the  gallows- 
tree,  a  hundred  yards  away  from  the  rows  of  stalls  and 
where  the  space  was  not  occupied  except  by  strings  of 
tethered  oxen  and  horses.  The  gallows  consisted  of  a 
rough  tree-trunk  planted  in  the  ground,  with  a  knotty 
limb  going  off  almost  at  right  angles  and  about  six  feet 
above  the  ground.  This  served  as  the  cross-bar  from 
which  the  murderers  were  to  hang.  Quickly  the  party 
closed  round  it,  while  the  drums  beat  louder  than  ever, 
causing  a  hush  to  fall  upon  the  market.  The  people 
in  the  stalls  did  not  move,  but  idlers  and  those  who 
had  come  with  market  errands  pressed  forward  to  the 
place  of  execution  till  it  became  like  a  sea  of  black  heads. 
Very  quickly  three  stalwart  soldiers  surrounded  each 
culprit,  lifting  him  bodily  up  till  the  loop  of  the  noose 
round  his  neck  was  within  grasp  of  a  man  who  had 
climbed  to  the  cross-piece.  The  latter  immediately 
slipped  the  loops  round  two  of  the  knotty  stumps  of 
the  limb.  A  moment  elapsed,  no  more,  and  the  bodies 
were  let  drop  with  a  jerk.  Then  the  sufferings  of  the 
condemned  commenced,  for  death  in  this  way  comes  by 
strangulation.  All  through  the  heat  of  the  day  till  sun- 
down the  bodies  hung  there  stark  and  motionless.  The 
hum  of  the  market  continued,  things  were  bought  and 
sold,  and  no  one  seemed  to  care  or  think  that  Death  had 
stalked  that  day  through  their  very  midst. 

I  left  the  same  afternoon  for  Konduga  and  arrived  the 
next  morning.  At  the  place  I  stopped  for  the  night  I 
found  my  cook  had  not  turned  up,  though  he  had  orders 
to  do  so.  So  I  had  to  make  the  best  of  it,  my  supper 
consisting  of  "  gari."  * 

*  "  Gari  "  is  corn  ground  for  food.  As  a  crop  it  is  called  "  gero." 
—Ed. 


196  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

November  4. — Konduga.  I  have  been  struck  with  the 
number  of  blind  here,  especially  among  the  women.  I 
have  asked  several,  but  none  can  attribute  their  blindness 
to  anything,  only  saying  that  it  has  gradually  come  on. 
I  looked  at  more  than  one,  who  though  not  yet  blind 
would  become  so  in  a  few  years.  The  disease  is  insidious, 
beginning  usually  with  a  cloudy  white  spot  on  the  cornea 
below  the  pupil ;  this  gradually  spreads  like  a  thick  film 
over  the  whole  eye  and  blindness  results.  I  think  it  must 
be  due  to  the  dust  and  particles  of  manure  straw  which 
are  blown  about  by  the  north-east  wind  at  a  certain  time 
of  the  year.  The  dirty  condition  of  the  villages,  and  the 
heaps  of  rubbish  and  dry  dung  which  surround  them, 
when  disturbed  by  strong  winds,  must  be  most  injurious 
to  the  eyes,  and  it  is  a  significant  thing  that  there  are 
many  more  cases  of  blindness  among  the  women,  and  I 
attribute  this  fact  to  their  always  having  to  do  the 
sweeping  in  the  houses,  &c. 

November  5. — I  am  busy  adding  to  the  number  of  my 
horses,  and  I  hope  to  leave  here  with  six  or  more.  I  am 
paying  for  them,  on  an  average,  £4  to  £5  each.  I  hear 
that  horses  in  Abechir  are  wanted  badly  ;  the  price  being 
£25  to  £30,  or  six  camels  for  one  horse.  If  this  be  the 
case,  and  I  get  to  Wadai,  I  shall  be  able  to  make  a  bit ! 
The  Kachella  has  lately  been  coming  to  see  me,  generally 
towards  evening.  We  sit  down  and  chat  over  a  cup  of 
coffee.  This  morning  Garuba  (of  all  people)  was  nowhere 
to  be  found.  This  is  the  man  I  found  at  Baminda  in  the 
Cameroons.  He  had  gone  up  to  Kano  with  Jose  to  get 
the  camels,  and  was  receiving  the  high  pay  of  £2  a  month. 
At  the  time  of  his  disappearance  he  had  more  than  £4  for 
his  book  !  It  is  quite  inexplicable,  unless  it  is  a  case  of 
"  funks."  I  hear  he  met  a  man  in  Maifoni,  just  come 
through  Wadai,  who  enlarged  upon  the  dangers  of  the 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  197 

road  to  him.  For  an  expedition  of  this  kind  the  Kanuri 
is  a  worthless  creature  :  he  has  no  pluck  to  face  any  diffi- 
culty. With  him  I  would  rank  the  Fulani  and  Jukun. 
The  only  people  one  can  rely  on,  who  do  not  mind  leaving 
their  homes,  are  the  Hausa,  Baghirmi,  and  Yoruba ;  that 
is  my  experience. 

November  11. — Left  Konduga  for  Marte.  The  column 
consists  of  six  horses,  five  camels,  and  ten  boys.  We  got 
on  the  way  somewhat  late  (eight  o'clock),  but  this  is 
generally  the  case  the  first  day  of  a  trek,  when  I  always 
allow  a  short  march  before  getting  into  the  even  stride. 
We  stayed  for  a  night  at  a  small  Kanuri  village  called 
Arnari. 

November  12. — Harmattan  blew  early  this  morning, 
and  sun  rose  as  a  red  orb.  Reached  Miktari,  a  Shua 
town.  All  these  Shua  towns  are  filthy,  and  the  cattle 
live  in  the  houses.  There  are  not  many  of  the  pale- 
skinned  people  to  be  found  now,  for  they  have  inter- 
married very  much  with  the  Kanuri.  By  the  by,  the 
Shuas  first  settled  in  this  country  when  Laminu  came 
over.  He  brought  with  him  three  Shuas,  who  finding 
it  to  be  a  land  of  plenty  went  back  and  brought  others. 

November  13. — Gubduri  (Shua).  While  here  a  man 
brought  me  his  little  son  (about  six  years  old)  for  treat- 
ment. He  had  for  the  last  few  days  a  stoppage  of  the 
bladder,  and  was  in  great  distress.  With  Jose's  help  I 
managed  to  pass  an  instrument,  but,  unfortunately, 
though  I  made  several  attempts,  I  failed  to  produce  a 
proper  flow.  The  child  was  deformed  from  birth  and 
could  not  walk,  so  I  fancy  he  must  have  had  a  mal- 
formation.    He  had  suffered  in  the  same  way  before. 

November  14. — I  stayed  to  try  and  give  a  little  more 


198  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

relief  to  the  sick  child,  but  was  not  more  successful  than 
yesterday. 

November  15. — Arrived  at  Abari  (Kanuri).  Jose  shot  a 
Senegal  hartebeest  here.     This  is  most  welcome. 

November  16. — Stayed  Abari,  being  "  off  colour." 

November  17. — Marfa.  On  the  way  Jose  shot  a  gazelle 
(Berrewa,  Hausa).  This  is  about  the  only  game  to  be 
found  in  these  parts. 

November  18. — Mina. 

November  19. — Marte.  Arrived  here  on  the  market 
day,  which  is  a  big  one.  Kunuri,  Shua,  and  Mandara 
were  the  chief  peoples. 

Marte  is  a  big  town,  with  mud  buildings ;  but  these 
suffered  at  the  hands  of  Rabeh,  who  passed  through  here 
on  his  way  to  Dikoa.  The  inhabitants  number  about 
one  thousand,  and  are  all  Kanuri. 

All  the  men  had  an  advance  of  five  shillings  to-day. 
Until  I  gave  the  order  they  found  it  extremely  hard  to  get 
the  threepenny  bit  accepted  in  the  market.  It  does  seem 
extraordinary  that  only  two  days  from  Maifoni,  and  after 
so  many  years  in  use,  this  coin  is  distrusted.  I  am  afraid 
the  dollar  will  die  hard ;  personally,  I  should  encourage 
its  circulation,  and  make  it  the  trade  coin  between  the 
three  nations.  Under  the  present  conditions  there  are 
four  coins  in  circulation — the  dollar,  and  the  English, 
French,  and  German  coins.  When  passing  from  one 
country  to  another  this  must  entail  annoyance,  and  a 
certain  amount  of  check  to  trade  also. 

As  I  do  not  think  that  I  have  a  sufficient  number  of 
dollars,  and  far  too  many  threepenny  bits,  Jose  leaves 
this  afternoon  for  Maifoni  to  change  the  latter  into 
dollars.* 

*  The  dollar  in  Bornu  has  the  fixed  value  of  2s.  6d. — Author. 


DIARY   OF  HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  199 

November  20. — The  second  boy  (a  Bere-Bere)  bolted 
during  the  night.  This  bears  out  what  I  have  already 
said  about  the  Kanuri.  "  Misfortunes  come  not  singly," 
&c,  and  the  camp  is  roaring  with  sickness,  and  one  of 
the  camels  has  cancelled  its  captivity.  Under  all  these 
difficulties,  and  being  all  by  myself,  I  do  not  feel  the  peace 
of  mind  which  I  should  like  to  have.  But  I  must  hope 
for  smoother  days. 

November  24. — Jose  returned  all  well,  bringing  with 
him  another  camel-boy,  this  time  a  Hausa.  A  telegram 
from  0.  M.,  saying  "Best  wishes." 

November  26. — Market  day.  I  have  bought  another 
pony  for  <£4.  It  is  small,  but  a  very  fast  goer.  This 
brings  the  number  up  to  seven. 

About  here,  and  in  many  places  along  the  road  from 
Konduga,  there  are  vast  fields  of  "  Mussowa  "  or  "  Mus- 
sakoa "  (Hausa).  It  grows  to  a  height  of  about  four 
feet,  and  both  the  stem  and  blades  are  very  much  like 
those  of  the  Indian  corn,  but  it  has  a  flower  like  that  of 
the  guinea-corn.  It  can  only  be  grown  on  a  clay  soil, 
which  holds  water  during  the  rains.  The  growth  seems 
to  be  confined  to  the  eastern  portion  of  Bornu,  and  is 
gathered  at  the  end  of  December.  The  stem  is  chewed, 
after  the  manner  of  sugar-cane,  by  the  natives.  It  has 
much  the  same  properties  as  sugar,  but  the  percentage 
is  not  so  large. 

November  27. — Left  Marte  and  arrived  Ala,  distance 
twelve  miles,  a  large  Kanuri  town  with  a  fair-sized 
market. 

I  generally  make  my  camp  under  a  fig-tree  in  the  town 
I  stop  at.  It  gives  good  shade,  and  to  make  it  more 
private  I  have  zana  matting  put  up  all  round  the  tree, 
at  a  certain  distance  from  it.     The  only  disadvantage  is 


200  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

that  snakes  now  and  again  drop  from  the  tree,  but  finding 
themselves  cut  off  are  obliged  to  face  the  zana  matting, 
and  this  gives  one  an  opportunity  of  killing  them.  On 
the  cry  "  Machiji  "  (Hausa,  snake),  my  compound  is  filled 
with  boys  armed  with  sticks,  all  shouting,  and  trying  to 
deal  death-blows  at  the  reptile  as  it  glides  up  the  matting. 

But  the  snake  is  not  the  only  visitor,  for  a  thud  on  the 
ground  tells  one  that  a  bright  chameleon  has  fallen  from 
some  leafy  bough.  The  species  here  is  a  very  bright 
grass-green,  and  it  affords  a  most  interesting  example  of 
protective  coloration.  I  have  watched  one  of  these 
brilliantly  coloured  chameleons  walking  over  the  brown 
earth  without  attempting  to  bring  itself  into  harmony 
with  the  colour  of  the  ground,  and  it  is  then  a  most  con- 
spicuous object ;  but  so  soon  as  it  becomes  aware  of  the 
approach  of  danger  it  immediately  turns  a  dusty  brown, 
and  is  then  hardly  distinguishable  from  the  ground.  See- 
ing this,  one  is  almost  inclined  to  believe  that  the  chame- 
leon has  developed  a  more  highly  organised  power  of 
protective  colouring  than  has  any  other  animal,  and 
almost  more  than  can  be  called  mere  "race-consciousness." 

Besides  the  snakes  there  are  more  welcome  guests 
to  my  tree,  and  they  are  guinea-pigeons  {Guiniensis) . 
They  come  towards  evening  to  claim  a  night's  rest,  and 
often  the  hot  sun  at  midday  will  send  them  to  take 
shelter  under  the  shady  leaves.  These  birds  are  numerous 
about  here,  and  frequent  the  roofs  of  the  native  huts  like 
tame  pigeons.     They  are  plump  and  good  to  eat. 

December  2. — Left  for  Dikoa,  distance  twelve  miles. 
Up  to  the  German  frontier,  which  is  marked  by  a  tele- 
graph pole,  the  road  passes  through  vast  fields  of 
"  Mussowa  "  that  extend  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach. 

As  soon  as  the  frontier  is  passed  one  cannot  help  being 
struck  with  the  poverty  of  the  ground  and  the  dearth  of 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST   JOURNEY  201 

villages,  as  compared  with  Bornu.  From  the  frontier  a 
march  of  five  miles  brings  one  into  Dikoa,  a  splendidly- 
situated  town  since,  for  a  considerable  distance,  the 
ground  rises  gently  up  to  it. 

The  market  is  first  reached,  and  then  a  broad  street, 
with  mud  buildings  on  either  side,  leads  into  a  large 
square,  formed  on  the  east  side  by  the  great  fort  built 
by  Rabeh,  and  on  the  west  by  the  palace  of  Faderella 
and  the  mosque  ;  while  behind  these  buildings,  again,  is 
the  palace  of  the  Shehu,  the  walls  of  which  can  just  be 
seen  from  the  square.  The  fort  is  a  fine  one ;  the  front 
wall  has  a  length  of  something  like  two  hundred  yards, 
and  the  depth  of  the  fort  is  two  hundred  and  thirty 
yards,  the  walls  running  to  a  height  of  fifteen  feet.  In- 
side there  are  many  substantial  buildings,  and  the  one 
which  Rabeh  lived  in  is  now  occupied  by  the  Resident. 
During  Rabeh's  time  there  were  many  more  buildings, 
the  dwelling-rooms  being  reckoned  by  the  hundred.  The 
amount  of  labour  expended  on  the  palace  must  have 
been  prodigious.  To  any  one  familiar  with  the  history  of 
Rabeh,  this  place  is  deeply  interesting,  for  it  is  here  that 
the  black  Napoleon  has  indelibly  left  his  mark  in  the 
great  fort  itself,  Faderella's  palace,  Behagle's  monument, 
the  lime  garden,  and  the  Rabeh  uniform  still  worn  by  the 
soldiers  of  the  present  Shehu,  Sanda.  It  is  difficult  to 
realise  that  Rabeh  met  his  death  only  such  a  few  years 
ago  as  1900.  The  romance  that  his  exploits  have  woven 
round  his  name  places  him  in  the  imagination  rather  as 
a  figure  of  the  Middle  Ages  than  of  to-day.  The  great 
changes  that  a  few  years  have  brought  about  in  Africa 
have  a  good  deal  to  do  with  this,  for  under  the  present 
conditions  of  the  New  Africa  a  man  like  Rabeh  could  not 
exist. 

The  market,  which  is  held  every  day,  is  a  fairly  large  one, 


202  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

but  not  so  big  as  Maidugari.  Kanuri  and  Shua  are  the 
chief  elements  of  its  people.  There  are  also  quite  a 
number  of  Tripoli  traders  coming  from  Kano  and  Maidu- 
gari and  through  Kukawa  from  the  Saharan-Tripoli 
route.  Sanda,  the  Shehu,  is  a  good  buyer  of  Tripoli  goods. 
Within  the  confines  of  the  market  is  the  tomb  of  Behagle, 
the  Frenchman  who  was  hanged  by  Kabeh.  The  monu- 
ment is  in  the  form  of  an  obelisk  and  is  made  of  mud. 
Behagle  was  a  French  trader,  and  the  first  man  to  ascend 
the  Bamingui.  He  did  not  get,  however,  very  far  up  this 
river,  his  boat  being  smashed  at  the  rapids  about  four 
miles  above  its  confluence  with  the  Shari.  We  also 
encountered  the  same  rapids  in  my  expedition  of  1905, 
but  passed  them  successfully.  Behagle  then  returned, 
and  in  company  with  another  trader  made  his  way  down 
the  Shari.  His  friend  realised  that  discretion  is  some- 
times the  better  part  of  valour  and  turned  back,  but 
only  just  in  time,  for  not  long  afterwards  Behagle  was 
captured  by  Rabeh  and  thrown  into  prison  at  Dikoa. 
It  was  after  the  battle  of  Kuno  that  Babeh  realised  that 
he  had  found  his  match  in  the  French,  for  at  this 
engagement,  although  it  was  a  drawn  one,  he  lost  many 
men.  Then  followed  what  was,  perhaps,  the  one  blot 
in  the  history  of  this  great  man.  Out  of  revenge  or 
anger  he  sent  a  messenger  to  Dikoa  with  orders  that 
Behagle  was  to  be  hanged  at  once.  For  five  months 
the  latter  had  been  a  close  captive  in  chains.  He  was 
not  told  of  his  fate  even  on  the  morning  when  they 
marched  him  from  his  prison-house  to  the  market  square, 
where  at  midday  he  was  hanged.  The  words  he  uttered 
before  he  met  his  doom  were  prophetic  :  "You  may  kill 
me  now,  but  Rabeh  will  never  sit  down  in  Bornu."  The 
sight  must  have  been  a  horrible  one.  The  gallows,  rude 
and  ill-constructed,  simply  a  bar  resting  on  two  forked 


"Behagle's  Monument."    (Jose  standing  beside  it.) 


j     4        <        '       *      <       *     * 


R  vbeh's  Palace. 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  203 

poles,  could  not  have  brought  a  quick  death,  while  people 
from  far  and  near  flocked  to  see  the  white  man  die, 
thronging  the  market  square  in  hundreds.  His  body- 
was  left  hanging  until  sunset.  These  events  happened 
in  October,  1899.* 

Dikoa  is  fortunate  in  having  a  lime  garden,  for  limes 
are  seldom  to  be  obtained  in  Bornu.  A  peculiar  interest 
is  attached  to  this  garden,  for  it  was  planted  by  Rabeh. 
The  two  original  plants  came  from  Maidugari  and  Kano. 
Besides  the  case  of  Behagle,  Dikoa  was  also  the  scene  of 
a  conflict  between  Faderella  and  Hiatu.  t 

Hiatu,  the  son  of  the  Sultan  of  Sokoto,  was  the  king 
of  Bulda,  a  large  Kanuri  and  Fulani  town  about  four  days 
from  Dikoa.  On  hearing  that  Rabeh  had  reached  the 
Shari,  Hiatu,  realising  the  power  of  Rabeh,  decided  to 
join  with  him,  and  with  twelve  flags  met  Rabeh  at 
Mundjaffa  on  the  Shari.  He  was  received  well  and 
became  one  of  Rabeh's  chief  lieutenants,  and  the  bond 
was  further  sealed  by  Rabeh's  giving  his  daughter  Howa 
to  him  in  marriage.  Then,  strengthened  by  this  further 
addition  to  his  army,  Rabeh,  in  conjunction  with  Hiatu, 
decided  to  invade  Bornu,  making  Kukawa  his  objective, 
as  soon  as  the  necessary  supplies  of  corn  could  be  got 
together. 

The  events  of  his  Bornu  campaign  up  to  his  entry  into 
Dikoa  I  have  already  related.  Rabeh  now  entered  Dikoa 
without  opposition  and  made  it  his  headquarters,  surround- 
ing himself  with  all  his  great  captains  and  lieutenants. 
After  staying  in  Dikoa  for  a  month,  Rabeh  set  out  to 
attack  Mandara,  which  he  subdued,  bringing  away  with 

*  From  Kusseri  Behagle  left  for  Dikoa  with  a  few  followers,  deter- 
mined to  throw  himself  on  the  clemency  of  Rabeh,  but  this  foolhardy 
coup  did  not  come  off. — Author. 

f  From  native  information. — Author. 


204  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

him  as  prisoner  the  king  of  Mandara  himself.  No 
sooner  did  he  return,  than  news  reached  him  of  the 
advance  of  the  French  under  Gentil  down  the  Shari, 
and  ever  a  fighter  he  set  out  to  meet  the  new  eventuality 
and  to  cross  swords  for  the  first  time  with  the  white  man. 
During  his  absence  Faderella  was  placed  in  command 
at  Dikoa,  with  Hiatu  as  his  lieutenant.  It  was  during 
this  time  that  Hiatu  began  to  cool  in  his  allegiance  to 
Rabeh,  and  he  determined  to  break  away  and  return  with 
all  his  followers  to  Sokoto.  The  night  before  he  prepared 
to  leave  the  town  without  the  knowledge  of  Faderella,  he 
made  his  wife  Howa  a  prisoner,  with  the  intention  of 
killing  her  before  he  left,  so  that  he  might  make  doubly 
sure  of  his  departure  being  kept  secret,  anyway  until  he 
could  have  stolen  a  march  on  Faderella,  who,  he  felt 
certain,  would  follow  him.  Unfortunately  for  him,  Howa 
with  the  help  of  two  slaves  made  good  her  escape  and 
immediately  informed  her  brother  Faderella  of  Hiatu's 
intentions.  Although  the  latter  had  already  started 
Faderella  came  up  with  him  on  the  open  ground  to  the 
south  of  Dikoa.  In  the  first  encounter  Faderella 
sustained  a  loss  of  twelve  men,  and  Hiatu,  encouraged  by 
this  success,  rode  back  with  sword  unsheathed  to  fight  his 
foe  in  person,  but  all  to  no  purpose,  for  the  next  minute 
he  fell  riddled  with  bullets  from  Faderella's  revolver. 
His  fall  was  the  signal  for  a  hundred  of  his  faithful  Fulani 
followers  to  close  round  his  body,  who,  refusing  to  leave 
it,  were  shot  down  to  a  man.  The  same  fate  overtook 
the  remainder  of  his  force,  who  were  followed  up  and 
killed. 

December  4. — The  German  occupation  of  this  portion 
of  the  Cameroons  might  be  described  as  a  passive  admini- 
stration. There  is  only  one  man  here  (Lieutenant  von 
Duisburg)  who  acts  as  Eesident,  but  everything  is  dealt 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST   JOURNEY         205 

with  by  the  native  court  under  the  Shehu.  At  present 
the  Shehu  pays  the  Government  a  yearly  tax  of  7,000 
marks,  and  a  certain  quantity  of  grain  besides.  Dikoa 
numbers  about  8,000  people,  and  the  Shehu  is  said  to  be 
able  to  muster  1,000  foot-soldiers  and  1,000  horse.  Any- 
way he  is  to  all  appearances  much  more  powerful  than 
his  brother,  Garuba,  the  Shehu  of  Bornu,  and  I  should  say 
a  man  of  much  stronger  will  than  his  brother,  who  allows 
himself  to  be  influenced  to  his  detriment.  Yesterday, 
Sanda  gave  a  review  of  all  his  troops,  following  a  demon- 
stration outside  the  town  by  the  Resident  of  the  powers 
of  the  machine  gun.  Altogether  1,000  cartridges  were 
fired  in  less  than  three  minutes,  and  the  scene  was 
intently  watched  by  the  Shehu  and  his  soldiers  and 
hundreds  of  his  people  with  wonder  and  awe.  The 
name  given  to  the  gun  by  the  Hausas  is  "Mirrau," 
meaning  a  water-gun. 

Half  an  hour  later  the  great  square  in  front  of  the  fort 
began  to  hum  with  life ;  people  crossed  and  recrossed  till 
the  sides  nearest  the  walls  and  buildings  were  thronged. 
At  the  far  end  of  the  square  looking  from  the  fort, 
the  three  exits — the  one  on  the  right  leading  to  the  market, 
that  on  the  left  into  the  quarters  of  the  Shehu's  soldiers, 
and  the  one  in  the  centre  into  the  palace  itself — allowed 
just  the  necessary  exits  and  entrances  to  those  taking 
part  in  the  review.  Then  followed  a  display  of  barbaric 
splendour  which  would  have  stirred  even  the  most 
jaded  sightseer.  "Flag"  after  "flag"  and  rows  of 
horsemen,  each  headed  by  a  royal  Prince  (Abba)  or  a 
Kachella,  swept  over  the  square  to  the  accompaniment  of 
kettledrums  and  alligatas,  the  men  in  straight  jacket-like 
gowns,  gorgeously  striped  with  colours  according  to  the 
fancy  of  the  wearer,  and  wrapped  round  the  waist  with 
bands  of  cloth  over  which  ammunition-belts  were  worn  ; 


206  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

and  the  horses  heavily  caparisoned  with  arrow-proof  coats, 
and  the  heads  of  the  long  spears  carried  by  the  men  glinted 
and  flashed  in  the  sunlight — all  showed  out  in  bright 
relief  against  the  white  walls  and  the  sandy  ground  that 
glared  in  strong  contrast  to  the  blue  sky  overhead.  As  they 
advanced  towards  the  entrance  of  the  fort,  where  the 
Kesident  was  waiting  on  horseback  to  receive  their  salute, 
the  pace  quickened  into  a  charge,  and  the  next  moment 
the  horses  were  suddenly  drawn  up  to  a  dead  stop  within 
their  length.  Then  a  great  shout  of  homage  was  raised, 
and  spears  were  shook  and  held  in  the  air.  The  last 
"  flag  "  had  come  and  gone  and  taken  up  its  position  at 
the  far  end  of  the  square.  Then  in  the  distance  where  the 
road  leads  to  the  market  comes  the  roll  of  many  drums  and 
the  sound  of  alligatas  to  the  accompaniment  of  deep  blares 
on  the  long  brass  trumpets.  Nearer  they  come,  and  then 
the  great  umbrella  which  shades  the  royal  head  can  just 
be  seen  over-topping  the  mud  walls.  The  king  is  coming  ! 
The  next  minute  the  great  "  flag  "  emerges  into  the 
square  and  spreads  out  into  line,  a  living  ribbon  of 
gorgeous  colours.  The  king  is  in  the  centre,  and  on 
either  hand  are  his  bodyguard,  distinguished  from  the  rest 
by  their  mitre-like  helmets  surmounted  by  ostrich  plumes 
and  ornamented  round  their  sides  with  small  round 
mirrors  that  flash  bravely  in  the  sun.  Half-way  across 
the  square  the  music  swells  even  louder  as  it  mingles 
with  the  cries  of  adulation  from  the  populace ;  horses 
prance  and  the  great  line  sweeps  on,  to  be  met  by  the 
Eesident,  who  joins  with  the  Sultan  only  to  halt  and  turn 
about  at  the  foot  of  the  fort,  over  which  the  German  flag 
is  flying.  Then,  amid  the  roars  and  cries  of  the  people 
and  the  beat  of  drums  and  the  gruff  notes  of  the  trumpets, 
the  "  flags  "  again  come  on  to  salute  the  king  as  they  did 
the  white  man.     When  all  have  passed  they  troop  out  in 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST   JOURNEY         207 

single  file  from  one  of  the  entrances  at  the  farthest  end  of 
the  square.  The  foot-soldiers  are  all  armed  and  wear  the 
Rabeh  cap  and  uniform,  and  as  each  man  passes  the  king 
he  raises  his  rifle  from  the  trail  to  the  short-arm.  All  are 
proud  of  spirit  as  they  render  homage  to  their  king. 
Again  the  music  changes  and  the  drums  beat  out  in 
rhythmic  time,  to  which  the  bodyguard  responds  by 
swaying  to  and  fro  with  a  dancing  motion  in  their 
saddles.  The  review  is  over,  but  before  the  Sultan  turns 
to  go  shrill  cries  of  acclamation  go  up  to  him  from  a 
crowd  of  women  who  have  sat  in  the  market  square 
through  the  heat  of  the  days,  toiling  hard  and  late  to 
support  the  soldiers  of  their  king. 

The  Resident  here  has  received  me  very  well,  and 
has  made  my  stay  here  most  pleasant.  He  speaks 
English  very  well.  In  the  afternoon,  about  four  o'clock, 
we  paid  a  visit  to  the  Shehu,  having  previously  warned 
him  of  our  coming.  At  the  door  of  the  palace  there 
were  several  of  his  guards  to  receive  us.  After  passing 
through  the  entrance  we  found  ourselves  threading 
our  way  through  a  dark  passage,  then  across  a  small 
courtyard,  then  through  more  passages  and  several  rooms, 
finally  emerging  into  another  courtyard,  at  the  farthest 
end  of  which  stood  the  Shehu  in  front  of  the  entrance  to 
his  room,  waiting  to  receive  us.  As  we  approached  him 
and  shook  hands  a  kind  smile  lit  up  his  face.  We  then 
entered  his  room  and  sat  down  on  chairs  made  ready  for 
us.  In  appearance  he  does  not  look  more  than  forty 
years  of  age,  although  I  believe  forty-three  is  the  correct 
number,  so  he  is  considerably  younger  than  his  brother, 
Garuba.  Besides  a  rough  moustache,  both  his  face  and 
chin  are  bearded.  His  features  are  somewhat  heavy,  and 
the  nose,  though  straight,  is  rather  thick ;  but  these 
characteristics  are  not  so  noticeable,  since  he  is  stoutly 


208  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

built  and  nearly  six  feet  in  height.  His  charm  lies  in 
his  kind  look,  and  in  the  ready  way  in  which  he  arouses 
one's  interest  in  him  by  the  wish  he  shows  of  gaining 
information  of  things  outside  his  own  world,  a  rare  trait 
in  the  character  of  a  black  man.  His  open  countenance 
is  borne  out  by  his  reputation,  for  he  is  known  as  a  man 
full  of  the  milk  of  human  kindness,  and  is  continually 
making  presents.  Every  day  he  feeds  in  his  palace  120 
of  his  people,  and  on  big  festivals  this  number  is  in- 
creased to  600.  As  soon  as  we  had  sat  down  he  began 
asking  us  many  questions  as  to  the  white  man's  country, 
how  big  the  steamers  were,  and  when  I  told  him  there 
were  some  which  could  take  more  than  a  thousand  people 
he  opened  his  mouth  and  eyes  in  amazement  and  clapped 
his  hands  softly  together.  Then  he  looked  at  my  rings, 
remarking  that  no  two  white  men  wore  the  same  kind, 
and  then  he  asked  how  much  money  could  be  spent  on 
one  ring.  Anything  up  to  and  beyond  a  thousand  pounds 
again  made  him  stare.  I  tried  to  make  him  realise  the 
worth  of  the  Cullinan  Diamond,  but  I  could  not  convey 
to  him  the  amount  in  his  language.  He  asked  also  if 
it  always  rained  with  us,  and  what  times  we  gathered 
our  crops.  Then  I  explained  to  him  that  in  winter  the 
rain  often  turned  to  snow  and  the  water  became  very 
strong,  so  strong  that  a  man  on  horseback  could  ride 
over  a  river.  At  this  he  raised  his  hands  and  exclaimed 
"  Allah  is  great." 

I  think  he  wanted  us  to  sit  with  him  for  another  hour, 
but  the  light  was  going,  and  as  I  wanted  to  take  his 
photograph  the  Resident  expressed  to  him  my  wish,  and 
we  all  left  the  room,  going  out  into  another  courtyard, 
where  he  posed  for  his  picture.  His  dress  was  a  richly 
embroidered  burnous,  over  which  he  wore  a  flowing  gown 
of  silk,  evidently  from  Tripoli,  and  a  pale  rose  in  colour. 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST  JOURNEY         209 

Like  all  "  big  men  "  in  this  country,  he  loves  to  display 
his  wealth  and  importance  in  the  number  of  horses  he 
keeps,  and  so,  responding  to  his  wish,  we  followed  him 
beyond  the  dwelling-houses  of  the  palace  to  an  enclosed 
space  behind  one  corner  of  the  big  wall  that  surrounds 
the  palace.  On  the  way  women  drawing  water  at  the 
wells  within  the  enclosure  hid  their  faces  as  he  swept  by. 
This  is  the  custom,  and  only  the  actual  wives  of  the 
Sultan  are  privileged  to  look  on  him  within  his  grounds. 

The  horses,  some  twenty  or  thirty  in  number,  were  all 
big  ones,  and  much  too  fat  to  cover  the  ground  quickly, 
but  the  native  loves  a  high  and  well-filled-out  horse. 
These  particular  ones  are  artificially  fed  with  specially 
prepared  balls  of  "  gari,"  much  in  the  way  we  stuff  geese. 
In  this  country  there  appear  to  be  at  least  three  distinct 
types  of  horses.  First  of  all,  there  is  the  Tubu  pony, 
in  height  not  more  than  eleven  to  twelve  hands,  and 
a  fast  goer.  The  Tubu  prefers  a  small  pony,  since, 
when  making  their  raids,  they  are  able  to  thread  their 
way  through  the  close  mimosa  woods  much  more  easily 
and  quickly  than  on  a  big  horse. 

The  second  type  is  the  Bornu,  one  running  from 
fourteen  to  fifteen  hands.  It  is,  I  consider,  the  most 
useful  of  the  three,  for  besides  being  a  quick  walker  it 
has  pace.  The  third  is  the  largest  of  the  three,  and 
is  bred  about  Dikoa,  in  Mandara,  and  the  Logone 
country.  The  height  is  from  sixteen  to  seventeen  hands. 
Apart  from  its  size,  it  can  easily  be  recognised  by  its 
length  of  back.  It  has  little  pace ;  in  fact,  it  is  a  cart- 
horse as  compared  with  the  Bornu  type. 

After  leaving  the  palace  we  rode  to  another  part  of  the 
town,  the  Faubourg  St.  Germain  of  Dikoa,  where  all 
the  princes  and  princesses  and  relations  of  the  Shehu 
live.     We  went  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  old  Queen  Mother. 

15 


210  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

She  had  expected  our  coming,  and  in  spite  of  her  great 
age  (eighty-five  years)  she  had  arrayed  herself  in  her  best 
to  receive  us.  As  soon  as  we  arrived  in  the  courtyard  of 
her  quarters  she  was  helped  out  by  an  attendant  and  sat 
down  on  a  mat  in  front  of  us.  She  was  very  tottery,  and 
her  face  looked  like  a  dried-up  quince  and  her  eyes  were 
almost  sightless.  But  yet  she  showed  great  pleasure  that 
the  two  white  men  had  come  to  see  her.  By  her  side  sat 
the  infant  daughter  of  the  Shehu,  a  clean-made  and  good- 
looking  child,  with  large  wistful  eyes.  It  was  a  pretty 
picture  of  youth  and  age.  The  old  lady  was  the  first 
wife  of  the  father  of  the  present  Shehu.  She  is  a  Kukawa 
woman,  and  her  husband  was  a  Kanembu.  Her  name  is 
Yamara,  and  the  child's  Yaashi. 

The  marks  on  the  face  of  a  royal  child  are  two  cuts  on 
each  cheek — thus  (  ( — and  two  on  each  temple  close  to 
the  ear. 

The  name  given  to  all  royal  male  children  is  Abba,  and 
Nana  to  the  female  children. 

December  5. — San  Thome  is  not  at  all  well,  has  no 
appetite,  and  has  become  very  thin ;  besides,  he  has  a 
hollow  stomach  cough.  He  was  in  much  the  same 
condition  coming  up  from  Yola  to  Maifoni,  but  recovered 
a  few  days  after  reaching  Maifoni.  I  fear  it  will  turn 
out  to  be  the  fly-sickness.  He  has  never  been  the  same 
dog  since  he  left  the  highlands  of  the  Cameroons.  Having 
been  bred  at  the  high  altitude  of  6,000  feet,  he  feels  the 
heat  and  strong  glare  of  the  lowlands. 

Left  Dikoa,  the  Kesident  coming  with  me  for  some 
distance.  The  road  goes  away  from  the  direction  of 
Kussuri  altogether,  and  takes  a  northerly  direction  as 
far  as  Ngala.  This  is  to  avoid  the  direct  road,  which 
is  impassable  owing  to  water.  Two  and  a  half  hours 
brought  us  to  Gajiro,  where  we  stopped.     A  short  march, 


-''.  ?f          &            t        ^H 

f    'ah.    -ii-»  m    l       JB 

fy0j?M 

^B 

b 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST   JOURNEY         211 

but  being  the  first  of  a  new  trek  I  think  it  is  allowable. 
Gajiro  is  a  large  village,  but  there  are  many  ruins,  which 
give  a  dilapidated  appearance  to  the  place. 

Towards  evening  the  air  swarmed  with  swifts  (G. 
affinis  ?).  It  is  now  the  breeding  season,  the  nests 
being  made  on  the  rafters  of  the  mud  buildings.  I 
observed  these  vast  congregations  also  at  Dikoa,  both 
morning  and  evening. 

December  6. — From  Gajiro  we  left  the  main  road  and 
took  a  long  detour  to  the  north  to  reach  Logomani.  This 
was  on  account  of  the  water  on  the  big  road.  Distance, 
nine  miles.  On  the  way  thither  Jose  shot  a  gazelle  (Barao, 
Hausa).  Here  and  about  this  part  a  great  deal  of  rice 
grows  wild,  and  is  gathered  by  the  natives.  It  makes 
excellent  porridge  when  it  is  ground.  I  have  it  every 
morning.  Really,  when  one  comes  to  think  of  it,  one 
can  do  with  hardly  any  stores  in  this  country  ;  tea,  coffee, 
sugar,  salt,  and  jam  are  all  that  are  necessary. 

To  take  my  own  case,  for  example,  these  are  my  meals. 
The  first  thing  in  the  morning,  before  I  get  up,  I  have  a 
cup  of  coffee  or  tea ;  then  for  breakfast  porridge  made  of 
rice  or  alkama  (and  failing  these,  of  "gari),"  and  eggs, 
either  fried  or  as  an  omelette  ;  then  for  luncheon  I  have 
soup  made  either  of  meat  or  ground  nut,  followed  by  meat 
or  fowl.  One  can  always  at  any  fair-sized  town  obtain 
meat  in  the  market,  while  very  often,  when  trekking,  one 
can  get  game.  My  supper  consists  of  soup,  brain  fritter 
(if  game  has  been  killed),  fried  kidney  or  liver,  cutlets, 
mince  or  roast,  and  custard  pudding  to  finish  up  with 
when  there  are  eggs  and  milk.  The  only  thing  one  feels 
the  want  of  is  green  vegetables,  and  these  are  not  to  be 
found  in  this  part  of  Africa.  In  place  of  flour  one  can 
make   cookies   or  flat   cakes   of  alkama   or  ground   rice 


212  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

mixed  with  "  gari."  Mussowa  also  makes  excellent 
cookies.  To  look  at  before  it  is  ground  it  is  the  same 
colour  as  Indian  corn,  but  the  grain  is  about  half  the 
size.  I  grant  that  to  any  one  living  in  a  station  weeks 
and  months  together  this  menu  would  be  dull  in  the 
extreme,  but  for  me,  trekking  as  I  do,  and  seldom  in  one 
place  two  days  together,  I  look  forward  to  these  meals 
with  a  certain  amount  of  interest.  There  is  a  rough 
charm  about  them,  and  I  feel  I  could  hardly  lead  a 
more  simple  life. 

A  good  deal  of  activity  is  shown  here  in  cotton-spinning 
and  weaving.  Of  course  the  spinning  and  looming  is 
primitive,  the  width  of  seam  turned  out  by  the  native  not 
being  more  than  one  and  a  half  inches.  This  is  made  in 
long  bands,  and  when  wound  up  looks  much  like  a  coil  of 
lamp  wick.  The  loom  is  worked  by  men,  and  every 
village  out  here  has  its  one  or  two  weavers.  From 
morning  till  near  sunset  in  some  retired  corner  of  the 
village  they  sit  side  by  side  at  their  work,  the  ever 
constant  "  click  click,"  even  in  the  drowsy  hours  of  the 
day,  sounding  upon  the  ear  as  the  shuttle  passes  through 
the  loom  from  one  hand  to  the  other.  A  friend  or  two 
may  be  sitting  on  the  ground  beside  them,  relieving  the 
monotony  by  retailing  to  them  the  gossip  of  the  place, 
and  but  for  these  they  are  alone. 

Leaving  the  weavers,  it  is  a  common  sight  to  see  a 
woman  sitting  inside  her  hut  close  to  the  doorway  busily 
spinning,  the  left  hand  holding  the  rough  material  up- 
right on  the  end  of  a  stick  to  the  level  of  her  head. 
From  the  rough  material  hangs  by  a  single  thread  the 
spinner,  a  thin  stick  of  wood  weighted  and  balanced  by  a 
spherical  ball  of  wood  close  to  its  end.  This,  kept  spin- 
ning, draws  out  the  cotton  into  a  thread  about  twelve 
inches  in  length,  which  is  shaped  and  tested  with  the 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST  JOURNEY         213 

fingers  of  the  right  hand,  chalk  now  and  again  being 
used  in  the  manipulation,  and  then  it  is  wound  round  the 
middle  of  the  spinner.  Besides  doing  the  work  of  spin- 
ning, the  women  gather  the  cotton  from  the  plants  and 
bring  it  in  from  the  fields. 

December  7. — Reached  Ngala  after  a  rather  tiring 
march  of  twenty  miles.  On  the  way  we  saw  several 
herds  of  hartebeest  (Senegal).  Jose  shot  a  gazelle,  and 
in  the  evening  close  to  Ngala  he  obtained  another,  and 
a  hartebeest.  Ngala  is  a  rather  large  town  (Bere-Bere 
and  Kotoko),  but  like  all  Kotoko  towns  it  is  extremely 
dirty  and  neglected.  It  is  walled,  and  the  walls,  though 
now  decayed,  have  at  one  time  been  very  massive.  There 
are  also  the  remains  of  a  fort,  or  citadel,  about  the  centre 
of  the  town,  from  which  one  can  overlook  the  whole  town 
and  surrounding  country.  Many  slaves  must  have  toiled 
hard  to  erect  such  works,  but  it  was  necessary  in  those 
days,  when  the  stronger  sections  of  the  community 
were  continually  raiding  the  weaker,  for  the  times  were 
troublous,  and  such  as  might  be  compared  with  the 
times  of  the  Barons  in  England.  But  now,  out  here,  the 
days  of  slavery  are  over  and  "the  white  man  is  strong  for 
all,"  *  and  as  each  year  passes  the  rains  obliterate  little  by 
little  traces  of  the  black  man's  former  greatness. 

The  most  interesting  thing  about  Ngala  is  its  huge 
earthenware  pots.  The  biggest  are  four  feet  in  height 
and  three  feet  in  diameter.  At  the  top  on  the  outside  is 
scrolled  a  pattern  formed  by  four  zigzag  lines.  The 
present  people  know  little  about  their  origin,  except  that 
many  years  ago  they  were  made  by  their  ancestors,  the 
So  people,  who  came  from  farther  east.  This  race  have 
the  reputation  of  being  giants.  According  to  tradition  the 
pots  were  originally  made  for  storing  water  in,  I  suppose 
*  A  native  expression. — Ed. 


214  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

because  in  those  days  when  towns  were  attacked  great 
quantities  of  water  had  to  be  stored  to  meet  the  require- 
ments of  the  besieged.  Many  of  these  pots  are  now 
used  by  the  people  as  dye  pits,  and  for  that  purpose  are 
let  into  the  ground.  A  good  deal  of  dyeing  is  done  here, 
the  native  gowns  being  dyed  the  favourite  blue-black 
colour.  Gosling  stayed  here  on  his  way  to  Kussuri  from 
our  camp  at  Kadde  on  Lake  Chad.  In  his  diary  he 
mentioned  the  remarkable  pots.  It  seems  curious  that 
nearly  four  years  after  I  should  be  staying  at  the  same 
place.     But  fate  determines  the  road  for  us. 

I  fear  that  San  Thome's  fate  is  sealed ;  he  is  getting 
rapidly  weaker,  will  eat  nothing,  but  has  an  abnormal 
thirst  ;  at  times  he  coughs  up  frothy  saliva ;  he  is 
extremely  restless,  jumping  up  from  his  place  beside 
me  only  to  totter  into  some  dark  corner,  where  he  throws 
himself  down  and  goes  off  into  a  half  comatose  state, 
his  head  swaying  to  and  fro  as  if  he  were  stricken 
with  palsy.  It  is  dreadful  to  see  him.  At  one  time 
I  thought  it  might  be  madness,  but  he  has  shown  such 
patience  and  gentleness  throughout  his  illness  that  I 
have  dismissed  the  idea.     I  fear  it  is  the  fly-sickness. 

December  8. — Stayed  Ngala. 

December  9. — Left,  making  an  early  start.  Two  and  a 
half  miles  brought  us  to  the  Biver  Gambaru,  with  a  width 
of  250  yards  and  a  depth  of  fifteen  feet.  It  is  now  at  its 
full,  and  the  river  people  tell  me  that  it  is  easy  to  reach 
Lake  Chad  by  it.  All  the  natives  I  have  spoken  to  say 
that  this  is  a  record  year  as  regards  the  great  volume  of 
water  in  the  lake ;  and  it  seems  so,  for  the  Gambaru  has 
overflowed  its  banks,  while  all  its  tributaries  are  full  and 
many  backwaters  have  been  formed.  This  is  now  the 
time  when  all  the  small  rivers,  which  intersect  this  low- 
lying  country,  are  full.     The  bigger  rivers  like  the  Shari 


DIARY  OF  HIS  LAST  JOURNEY         215 

to  the  south  are  gradually  falling,  and  here  the  flow  has 
reached  the  last  stage  of  its  journey  before  losing  itself  in 
the  Lake.  No  doubt  by  this  time  Chad  is  about  full  up, 
and  is  consequently  pushing  back  the  remainder  of  the 
flow.  This  would  account  for  the  Gambaru  and  its 
tributaries  being  so  high  and  for  the  many  backwaters 
that  have  been  formed  everywhere. 

While  at  Konduga  I  was  told  that  at  Ngornu  the 
elephants  had  done  a  great  deal  of  damage  to  the  crops, 
having  left  the  lake  owing  to  the  high  water. 

We  crossed  over  the  Gambaru  on  rafts  made  of  bundles 
of  ambatch  roped  together.  The  horses  went  over  well, 
but  there  were  one  or  two  anxious  moments  with  the 
camels.  They  are  not  good  in  the  water.  Two  miles 
along  the  river  brought  us  to  a  dirty  little  Shua  and 
Kanuri  village  called  Gubuge,  where  we  stopped  for  the 
night.  San  Thome  is  much  weaker.  In  the  evening 
while  sitting  at  my  table  one  of  the  village  boys  came 
too  close,  and  poor  San  Thome  mustered  up  his  strength 
and  drove  off  the  intruder  of  my  quiet. 

December  10. — In  order  to  avoid  the  water  on  the  main 
road  we  made  a  long  detour  in  a  northerly  direction  by  a 
native  path.  We  had  not  gone  far  when  we  sighted 
three  gazelles,  and  Jose  shot  two  of  them  with  standing 
shots  at  two  hundred  yards,  good  practice  considering  the 
slender  size  of  the  animal.  He  is  a  fine  shot,  and  the 
rifle  he  uses  suits  him.  One  cannot  beat  the  Mauser 
carbine  for  this  kind  of  work.  Judging  by  the  water  on 
the  road,  the  main  road  must  be  impassable.  We  had  to 
cross  no  less  than  six  rafines  *  and  five  marshes.  After  a 
very  tiring  march  we  put  up  at  a  small  Shua  village 
called  Gallwui. 

*  A  rafine  is  a  tributary  of  a  river ;  it  is  rather  more  than  a 
stream. — Author. 


216  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

About  four  o'clock  this  afternoon  poor  San  Thome 
died. 

It  will  be  difficult  for  me  to  find  such  another  com- 
panion. He  was  always  faithful,  and  never  left  my  side. 
Even  at  night  he  used  to  come  of  his  own  accord  to 
sleep  as  close  as  possible  to  my  bed,  and  he  kept  his 
watch  well,  for  it  went  hard  with  any  one  coming  near 
me ;  a  torn  gown  and  mauled  legs  and  hands  were  fre- 
quently the  penalty.  A  character  like  this  is  rare  to  find 
in  the  African  dog.  It  seldom  keeps  faithful  to  one,  the 
kitchen  attracts  it  strongly,  and  then  it  ends  by  becoming 
the  cook's  dog  rather  than  one's  own.  On  the  line  of 
march  he  was  always  a  source  of  great  amusement  to 
the  carriers,  with  the  reservation  of  the  one  who  felt  his 
teeth.  Before  starting  on  the  day's  march  I  used  to  tell 
the  laziest  man,  just  to  wake  him  up,  to  put  the  leading 
chain  round  San  Thome.  This  order  was  always  greeted 
with  much  laughter  from  the  rest,  and  the  next  thing  to 
be  seen  was  the  fellow  careering  down  the  road  with  rent 
clothes  and  San  Thome  at  his  heels.  But  he  is  gone 
now  and  only  the  memory  of  a  faithful  companion  is  left 
to  me.  Africa  is  a  sad  place ;  here  all  things  seem  to  die 
before  their  time,  and  the  span  of  life  can  be  reckoned 
only  by  the  hour  and  day.  The  native  mother  is  seldom 
destined  to  see  the  survival  of  all  her  children,  for  so 
many  are  cut  short  by  fever  in  the  early  days.  The 
favourite  horse  that  has  carried  one  over  many  miles 
suddenly  collapses  and  dies  from  the  deadly  fly.  Yes,  all 
things  die  in  Africa  before  their  time. 

I  have  buried  San  Thome  under  a  shady  tree  whose 
leaves  throughout  the  year  never  fall.  There  will  always 
be  shade  there  as  there  will  always  be  darkness  in  his 
grave.  I  suppose  in  the  end  the  tree  will  die,  but  its 
great  trunk  could  not  fall  across  the  grave  of  a  finer  spirit. 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST   JOURNEY  217 

Goodbye,  faithful  friend  !  Many  days  have  you  shared 
with  me  my  tent  and  the  toil  of  the  day's  march  over 
mountain  passes,  through  rivers,  and  through  the  desert 
heat.  And  where  have  you  gone  to  now?  Perhaps  I 
shall  know  one  of  these  days  ! 

A  curious  coincidence  happened  to-day.  About  an  hour 
before  reaching  Gallwui  my  horse-boy  attracted  my 
attention  to  a  small  heap  of  dry  grass  under  a  bush. 
Peeping  out  of  it  was  the  head  of  a  small  puppy  which 
could  not  have  been  more  than  a  few  days  old.  I  brought 
it  along  with  me.  Two  hours  after  that  San  Thome  died. 
It  almost  seems  as  if  the  spirit  of  poor  San  Thome  had 
passed  into  the  little  puppy,  and  the  curious  thing  is 
that  this  is  the  third  one  I  have  found  in  the  bush. 
Maifoni,  who  died  on  my  last  expedition,  was  picked 
up  by  me  in  the  fields,  and  San  Thome,  it  will  be  remem- 
bered, came  to  me  in  the  same  way. 

December  11. — Another  march  through  water,  and  a 
trying  one  too,  a  distance  of  six  miles  in  seven  hours  ! 
Our  bag  is  a  bush  pig  and  two  gazelles.  In  crossing  the 
backwater  of  the  Gambaru,  close  to  the  walls  of  Kuda, 
two  of  the  camels  before  they  could  reach  the  firm  bank 
sank  in  the  mud  up  to  their  necks.  We  had  to  dig  them 
out.  The  country  through  which  we  have  passed,  from 
the  time  of  crossing  the  Gambaru,  soon  after  leaving 
Ngala  is  a  veritable  home  of  geese  and  duck,  the 
numerous  backwaters  and  rafines  of  the  bigger  river 
attracting  them  in  thousands.  At  the  report  of  one's 
rifle  flocks  of  redshanks,  that  have  been  softly  running  to 
and  fro  over  the  thick  mud  close  to  the  water's  edge,  get 
up  like  one  bird  and  "  swish "  away  to  some  distant 
haven,  while  flocks  of  Spur-winged  geese  and  whistling- 
duck,  that  can  be  numbered  by  the  hundred,  take  a  wide 
circuit  overhead,  passing  one  another  in  and  out  like  the 


218  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

grand  chain  in  the  lancers,  flying  lower  each  time,  and 
then  when  all  is  still  again  alighting  once  more  on  their 
favourite  feeding-ground. 

Like  Ngala,  Kuda,  is  another  strongly  walled  place, 
and  must  have  been  in  the  olden  days  impregnable  ;  for, 
besides  the  strong  walls,  which  are  over  fifteen  feet  in 
height  and  very  massive,  the  town  is  built  on  an  island 
formed  by  the  River  Gambaru  to  the  south-east  and  its 
backwaters.  Like  Ngala,  it  has  a  lofty  fort,  or  citadel, 
and  this  I  found  out  was  built  by  the  So  people,  the 
giants,  and  ancestors  of  the  present  race. 

I  obtained  some  interesting  information  about  the 
giants  from  a  very  old  Mallam  here,  named  Arbari.  I 
managed  to  arouse  his  interest,  and  his  face  quite 
lightened  up  as  he  told  me  all  he  knew ;  but  it  is  very 
difficult  to  get  information  on  subjects  dating  so  far  back, 
as  everything  has  been  handed  down  orally.  I  first  made 
him  tell  me  about  the  huge  jars.  He  said  they  were  made 
for  water,  and  also  for  brewing  the  native  beer  in  from 
the  corn,  the  process  of  which,  I  suppose,  was  much  the 
same  as  it  is  in  the  present  day.  He  also  confirmed  my 
idea  that  the  jars  were  made  to  contain  water  in  the  event 
of  a  siege.  In  those  days  wars  and  internal  strife  were 
rife,  one  town  raiding  another  irrespective  of  kinship.  As 
to  the  origin  of  the  giants  he  was  extremely  vague.  Ap- 
parently all  that  is  known  is  that  some  centuries  ago  they 
came  from  further  east,  and  that  they  were  practically 
wiped  out  by  a  great  famine  before  the  advent  of  Laminu 
into  Bornu.  That  these  giants  were  the  ancestors  of  the 
present  Kotoko  seems  probable,  for  the  Kotoko  of  to-day 
are  physically  very  big,  taking  them  all  through,  and  the 
size  of  their  hands  is  quite  abnormal.  The  women  are 
not  so  well  developed.  Around  such  men  as  these  giants 
stories  are  bound  to  have  been  woven,  and  with  the  native 


DIARY  OF   HIS  LAST  JOURNEY         219 

weakness  for   exaggeration  have  been  enlarged  upon  as 
they  have  been   handed   down   from  one  generation  to 

another. 

According  to  the  Kuda  Mallam  they  were  not  Mahome- 
dan.  Each  man  would  have  from  thirty  to  forty  wives, 
and  some  over  a  hundred.  They  were  of  great  stature, 
and  so  strong  that  it  was  possible  for  one  of  them  to  go 
into  the  bush,  kill  an  elephant,  and  carry  it  back  !  And  a 
march  of  three  days  for  an  ordinary  man  was  made  by 
them  in  one.  They  were  not  traders,  but  great  farmers 
and  cotton-spinners,  weaving  their  bands  of  cloth  much 
wider  than  those  made  at  the  present  day.  They  fought 
on  foot  with  spears  and  poisoned  arrows.  When  a  man 
died  everything  except  his  slaves  and  horses  was  buried 
with  him,  while  on  the  death  of  the  king  his  successor 
had  to  go  without  food  and  water  for  three  days  before  he 
became  king. 

Their  form  of  execution  was  by  drowning.  The  name  of 
their  big  king  was  Kannide,  and  he  ruled  over  the  follow- 
ing towns  in  this  country — Pima,  Muzugudi,  Kuda, 
Bellami,  Wasu,  Afade,  Alaf,  Zu,  Ngala,  Ndubu,  Zangir, 
Mudu,  Muftu,  Mutugu,  Ran,  Gilbi,  Wurgi,  Mobassi, 
Mulhui. 

The  bag  to-day  was  two  bush  pig  and  two  gazelle — the 
latter  are  very  numerous,  going  about  either  in  pairs  or 
small  parties,  and  often  crossing  the  road  not  a  hundred 
feet  in  front  of  one. 

I  took  a  photograph  of  an  old  woman,  evidently  the 
ladies'  barber  of  Kuda,  engaged  in  dressing  the  hair  of  a 
young  Shua  woman  after  the  fashion  of  that  people.  The 
girl's  hair  had  evidently  not  been  dressed  before,  for  it 
was  roughed  and  touzled  out  like  a  mop-head,  and  made 
ready  for  the  process.  Also  she  held  in  her  hand  a  bunch 
of  her  own  hair,  which  I  suppose  she  had  collected  at 


220  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

various  times.  Out  of  this  the  old  woman  made  plaits, 
which  she  wove  into  the  hair,  parting  them  on  either  side, 
starting  from  the  crown  to  the  forehead ;  the  end  of  each 
plait  reached  a  little  below  the  chin.  There  were  five  in 
all  on  each  side  of  the  head,  while  down  the  central 
parting  were  two  broader  plaits  that  passed  over  the 
crown  down  the  back  of  the  head,  and  the  ends  of  these 
plaits  were  turned  up.  Goat's  hair  is  frequently  used  if 
the  woman  has  not  sufficient  of  her  own.  In  the  older 
women  the  plaits  often  reach  down  to  their  breasts. 

In  appearance  there  is  some  difference  between  the 
Shua  of  this  part  and  the  race  one  meets  with  in  Bornu ;  I 
think  that  the  latter  are  really  the  descendants  of  the 
original  Shua,  for  though  much  mixed  now  with  the 
Kanuri  and  Kanembu,  there  are  still  many  of  the  pale- 
skinned  type  among  them.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Shuas 
in  the  Kotoko  country  are  very  dark,  and  the  women 
affect  very  much  the  same  headdress  as  the  Kotoko.  In 
fact,  we  find  that  wherever  the  Shua  has  settled  he  has 
intermarried  with  the  people  of  the  land,  with  the  result 
that  racial  differences  have  sprung  up  which  are  found  in 
the  Shua-Kanuri,  Shua-Kotoko,  Shua-Mandara,  &c. 
Without  doubt  the  Shuas  may  be  looked  on  as  the 
wealthiest  people  of  the  land,  possessing  as  they  do  large 
herds  of  sheep,  cattle,  and  horses ;  indeed,  in  regard  to 
this  part  of  Africa  they  are  rather  like  what  the  Jews  are 
to  us.  Under  these  prosperous  circumstances,  though 
seldom  leaving  their  dirty  villages  in  the  bush,  except  to 
attend  the  markets  in  the  towns  of  their  neighbours,  they 
find  no  difficulty  in  marrying  whom  they  please.  Their 
life  is  a  simple  one,  devoted  entirely  to  the  welfare  of  their 
cattle,  which  at  night  share  with  them  the  same  roof. 
They  grow  no  crops,  but  depend  on  their  neighbours  for 
grain,  which  they  get  in  exchange  at  the  big  markets  for 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST   JOURNEY         221 

their  butter  and  oil.  The  inside  of  a  stone  fruit  about  the 
size  of  a  small  plum  and  called  "  adwa  "  by  the  Hausas  is 
used  by  them  for  soup.  It  comes  from  a  tree  common 
in  this  part  and  generally  growing  side  by  side  with  the 
mimosa;  it  is  thorny  also,  but  on  the  whole  stouter 
limbed  than  the  mimosa,  while  the  leaves  are  dark  and 
crinkled.  This  fruit  is  sun-dried,  and  it  is  a  familiar 
sight  outside  each  dwelling  to  see  heaps  of  it  spread  upon 
the  roof  of  a  rough  framework  which  serves  as  a  shelter  to 
sit  in  during  the  heat  of  the  day.  The  face  markings  on  a 
Shua  Kotoko  woman  are  three  cuts  in  the  centre  of  the 
forehead,  four  below  each  temple,  and  three  on  each 
cheek. 

December  13. — A  march  of  twelve  and  a  half  miles 
brought  us  to  a  large  Shua  village  called  Orangulma.  We 
passed  through  a  well-wooded  country,  giving  way 
in  places  to  open  plains,  frequented  by  many  gazelle. 
Besides  this  small  gazelle,  black  pig  and  kob  were 
observed.     Our  bag  was  seven  gazelle. 

December  14. — Afade,  three  and  a  half  miles.  Jose 
obtained  a  Senegal  hartebeest  out  of  a  large  herd. 

Afade  must  at  one  time  have  been  a  large  and  strongly 
walled  town,  but  to-day  it  is  sparsely  inhabited  and  is 
in  a  deplorably  ruined  state ;  nearly  the  whole  north  end 
is  a  mass  of  ruins. 

The  wall  round  the  town  is  of  great  thickness,  especially 
to  the  east  and  south,  and  is  some  twenty  feet  in  height. 
This  was  built  by  the  giants,  the  So  people.  Rabeh  came 
here  on  his  way  to  Dikoa  and  remained  in  the  town  for 
five  days.  On  his  approach  the  Kanuri,  who  were  then  in 
possession  of  the  town,  fled.  Although  Afade  was  a 
Kotoko  town  the  Kanuri  claimed  rule  over  it.  In 
the   time   of  Omar,  the  Sultan  of  Kukawa,  the  Kanuri 


222  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

fought  the  Kotoko  and  exacted  tribute  from  them.  The 
majority  of  Kotoko  speak  the  Kanuri  language.  The 
Kotoko  marks  are  six  cuts  on  each  side  of  face  and  three 
in  the  centre  of  the  forehead.  Afade  appears  to  have 
suffered  considerably  from  wars.  A  great  portion  of  the 
town  was  destroyed  not  by  Rabeh,  but  by  a  Mallam 
named  De  Baba.  At  present  the  only  information  about 
the  man  I  can  get  is  that  he  came  with  a  big  army  from 
the  direction  of  the  east  during  the  reign  of  Chefu  Omar. 
In  appearance  he  was  quite  black  and  talked  Fulani. 
After  destroying  Afade  and  taking  from  them  some  two 
thousand  slaves,  he  went  into  Baghirmi,  where  he  fought 
with  considerable  success,  but  was  eventually  killed  by 
the  pagans  in  the  region  of  the  Upper  Shari. 

December  16. — Dubabe  (Shua),  ten  miles.  Hartebeest 
and  pig  numerous.  On  the  road  we  met  four  Mecca 
pilgrims  on  their  return  journey.  They  complained  of 
Ali  Dinar,  the  Sultan  of  Darfur,  who  relieved  them  of  all 
their  things,  otherwise  they  gave  a  good  account  of  the 
road.  I  shot  a  hartebeest  and  Jose  two  pigs.  About 
half  an  hour  from  Dubabe  we  left  them  on  the  road,  and 
on  our  arrival  at  the  village  I  sent  a  camel  back  for  them 
at  once.  But  marauding  Shuas  had  "  made  off"  with  the 
hartebeest,  the  devils  evidently  having  watched  me  shoot 
the  animal  from  behind  trees ;  while  the  two  pigs 
presented  a  sorry  spectacle,  for  large  white  vultures  had 
scented  them  and  had  cleared  everything  out  of  them 
from  the  back,  till  the  carcasses  had  become  nothing  more 
than  framework  over  which  the  skin  was  stretched.  This 
is  a  fair  example,  I  think,  of  the  rapidity  with  which 
vultures  can  make  away  with  dead  animals. 

December  17. — Kala  Mulue  seven  and  a  half  miles. 
A  small  and  dirty  Kotoko  town.  About  one  and  a  half 
miles  to  the  east  a  branch  of  the  Shari  is  visible. 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  223 

To  make  up  for  the  disappointment  of  yesterday,  Jose 
shot  three  pigs. 

December  18. — The  last  trek  into  Kusseri.  About  two 
miles  before  getting  to  the  station  I  turned  off  the  main 
road  to  the  left  to  see  the  battlefield  where  Rabeh  was 
defeated  and  killed.  A  distance  of  five  hundred  yards 
along  a  native  track  led  into  the  clearing  which  is  the 
scene  of  the  battle.  The  bush  had  grown  up  to  a  height 
of  some  two  feet,  but  it  showed  to  what  a  great  extent 
Rabeh  had  cleared  the  ground.  His  front,  still  traceable 
by  the  old  trench,  faced  a  south-west  by  west  direction, 
while  his  right  flank  rested  on  the  river  and  his  left  on 
thick  wood.  From  the  front  trench  he  had  command  of 
an  excellent  field  of  fire,  but  his  rear  and  the  left  flank,  both 
resting  on  thick  wood,  were  the  weak  points  of  his  position. 
The  French  attacked  him  on  the  left  flank.  About  the 
centre  of  the  position  is  a  thick-leaved  tree.  Here  it  was 
that  Rabeh  met  face  to  face  with  Lamy,  both  meeting 
their  deaths  in  the  encounter.  Many  bleached  bones 
were  scattered  over  the  field. 

About  Afade,  and  on  to  Kusseri,  especially  after  leaving 
Kala  Mulue,  there  is  much  mimosa  wood,  and  as  one 
wends  a  way  along  the  native  path  that  winds  in  and 
out  through  this  forest  of  little  trees,  some  of  which  are 
starred  all  over  with  feathery  puff-balls  of  pale  saffron,  a 
sudden  breeze  comes  along  and  wafts  from  the  blossoms 
the  sweetest  scent,  recalling  one  for  a  moment  back  to 
England  in  the  spring,  but  only  for  a  moment  and  the 
scent  is  gone. 

Though  I  have  travelled  now  in  Africa  for  many 
hundreds  of  miles  the  scarcity  of  flowers  along  the  path- 
side  and  in  the  bush  has  always  impressed  me.  Now  and 
again  I  have  passed  a  single  flower  or  a  tree  in  blossom 
whose  beauty  has  arrested  my  eye,  but  days  of  marching 


224  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

have  followed  before  I  have  met  with  it  again.  Here 
no  wealth  of  blossom  heralds  the  coming  of  the  glad 
seasons  as  it  does  at  home,  where  the  wide  fields  ablaze 
with  golden  buttercups  tell  of  the  spring  gliding  towards 
summer,  and  the  dell  is  decked  with  blue  hyacinths  to 
welcome  the  nightingale.  There  may  be  several  reasons 
why  flowers  in  Africa  make  so  small  a  display.  Perhaps 
their  effect  is  lost  in  the  immensity  of  their  surroundings 
or  the  tender  plants  cannot  survive  the  merciless  bush 
fires,  or  there  are  not  a  sufficient  number  of  the  right 
kinds  of  birds  and  insects  to  scatter  the  pollen.  The 
whole  task  seems  left  to  the  sunbirds,  and  these  you 
will  always  find  wherever  there  is  a  patch  of  colour  that 
asserts  itself  through  the  spread  of  green  or  dried-up 
grass.  See !  how  lightly  they  hover,  probing  so  gently 
the  hearts  of  the  flowers  with  their  scimitar-like  bills 
the  while  the  sunlight  strikes  their  plumage  with  hues  of 
paradise. 

December  ]8. — Distance  from  Kala  Mulue  to  Kusseri, 
ten  and  three-quarter  miles.  Kusseri  is  a  walled  town  of 
considerable  circumference,  the  side  to  the  east  resting 
on  the  River  Logone.  In  height  the  wall  is  not  far  off 
twenty-five  feet,  but  it  is  in  ruins  in  places.  The  Fort,  or 
Residence,  is  within  the  town  itself  and  occupies  the  north- 
eastern corner.  The  Resident,  Lieutenant  von  Raben, 
gave  me  a  good  welcome ;  he  had  already  pitched  a  tent 
for  me  within  the  fort.  Jose  and  the  men,  with  the 
camels  and  horses,  are  being  put  up  by  Musa,  the  king,  in 
the  town.  Besides  von  Raben  there  are  a  doctor  and  six 
N.C.O.'s. 

In  the  afternoon  Jose  left  with  a  letter  to  the  Colonel 
Commandant  at  Fort  Lamy,  and  on  it  hangs  the 
future.  In  it  I  asked  for  permission  to  travel  by 
way   of  Fittri    and   Wadai    to    Khartoum.     The    reply 


DIARY   OF  HIS  LAST  JOURNEY         225 

which  came  back  relieved  my  anxiety  ;  it  was  most  kindly 
wrorded,  and  ran  as  follows  :  — 

"Monsieur, — Je  serai  tres  heureux  de  vous  recevoir 
demain  et  de  faire  votre  connaissance.  Voulez-vous  me 
faire  le  plaisir  de  dejeuner  avec  moi  a  11  heures  et  demi  ? 
Nous  pourrons  ainsi  nous  entretenir  longuement  de  votre 
interessant  voyage. 

"  Bien  cordialement  votre, 

"H.   Moll."* 

December  19. — After  a  journey  of  twenty  minutes  by 
canoe  I  landed  at  Fort  Lamy,  and  was  met  by  the  Com- 
mandant's Adjutant,  Lieutenant  Brulet,  who  at  once 
took  me  to  Colonel  Moll,  whose  charming  and  gracious 
manner  soon  put  me  at  my  ease,  and  doubly  so,  since  he 
speaks  excellent  English.  He  soon  dispelled  all  my  fears 
as  regards  not  being  allowed  to  reach  Wadai.     Everything 

*  Colonel  Moll  was  at  this  time  Commandant  du  Territoire  du 
Chad.  He  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Dorote'  by  the  Massalit  Arabs 
in  September,  1910.  Apparently  he  had  under-estimated  the  strength 
of  the  enemy,  who  made  a  sudden  attack  upon  the  French  square 
taking  advantage  of  the  fact  that  it  was  opened  for  the  camels,  which 
had  been  feeding  outside,  to  be  brought  into  safety.  The  camels 
acting  as  a  screen  and  ram,  so  to  speak,  the  Massalit  horse-  and 
foot-soldiers  broke  right  through  the  south-east  corner  of  the  square, 
those  on  foot  keeping  up  by  hanging  on  to  the  horses'  bridles.  All 
was  now  confusion,  and  the  victory  of  the  Massalit  would  have  been 
complete  had  it  not  been  for  the  heroism  of  Captain  Chauvelot.  He 
was  on  the  north-east  of  the  square,  and  when  the  enemy  charged 
through  found  himself  left  alone.  He  thereupon  rushed  across  the 
deserted  square,  and  rallying  a  band  of  soldiers  succeeded  in  driving 
off  the  enemy,  who  by  this  time  had  become  demoralised  owing  to  the 
death  of  their  leader.  For  this  deed  Captain  Chauvelot  deserves  the 
gratitude  not  only  of  his  own  but  of  all  the  white  Powers  of  Africa, 
for,  had  the  day  gone  totally  against  the  French,  there  was  nothing 
to  stop  the  victorious  Arabs'  advance  upon  Fort  Lamy  and  Kusseri, 
when,  gathering  fresh  force  as  they  went  along  from  the  rising  peoples, 
like  a  wave  they  might  have  swept  the  country. — Ed. 

16 


226  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

was  at  my  disposition ;  in  fact,  he  made  me  feel  that  they 
regarded  it  as  an  honour  for  me  to  traverse  their  country. 
Commandant  Brissot,  who  commands  the  troops,  was 
also  present,  a  weather-beaten  man  who  had  seen  much 
service  in  Africa.  From  their  accounts  I  shall  have  a 
most  interesting  journey,  especially  after  Wadai,  since 
nothing  is  known  of  the  country  between  Abechir  and 
el  Fachir  ;  in  fact,  I  shall  be  the  first  white  man  to 
traverse  it  since  the  days  of  Nachtigal. 

So  my  fears  of  the  past  three  long  months  have  gone  ! 
If  the  French  had  refused  I  had  determined  to  try  to  get 
through  at  any  cost,  as  a  native  with  my  face  stained  with 
permanganate  of  potash,  which  from  trials  I  made  can  stain 
the  skin  to  any  depth  of  colour.  Of  course,  I  should  have 
taken  nothing  with  me,  but  would  have  lived  on  native 
fare  and  not  washed  for  some  sixty  days. 

December  20. — Jose  is  laid  up.  His  sickness  will 
prevent  my  leaving  here  for  several  days  ;  the  doctor  says 
a  week.  Sent  Braima,  Chefu  Sanda's  soldier,  to  Maifoni 
with  three  boxes  containing  eighteen  films  and  thirty-six 
plates.  He  is  bringing  back  with  him  three  tins  of  plates 
from  those  I  left  at  Maifoni.  Not  knowing  how  things 
would  shape  themselves  here,  I  came  with  as  few  things 
as  possible. 

December  23. — This  was  the  big  market  day  (Thursday), 
but  it  was  small  compared  to  some  I  have  seen  in  Bornu. 
The  people  could  not  have  exceeded  a  hundred,  and  were 
composed  mostly  of  Kotoko  and  Shua.  In  all  the  markets 
out  here  the  percentage  of  money  taken  is  small — the 
people  meeting  together  more  for  purposes  of  exchange. 
The  Shua  comes  with  his  butter  and  oil  with  the  intention 
of  exchanging  them  for  grain,  so  if  a  customer  wants  his 
butter  he  must  first  go  and  buy  grain,  and  should  the 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST  JOURNEY         227 

owner  of  the  grain  require  another  article  than  money, 
it  can  easily  be  realised  what  a  lengthy  proceeding  a 
bargain  can  be. 

December  24. — Jose  out  of  bed.  I  think  we  shall  be 
able  to  leave  for  Fort  Lamy  on  the  27th. 

A  very  strong  wind  from  the  north,  at  its  height  about 
one  o'clock  and  dying  down  at  three  o'clock. 

A  great  evening  with  the  Germans,  and  the  dinner  was 
worthy  of  the  occasion.  The  cakes  were  excellent  and 
were  made  by  the  Resident  and  the  Doctor  (Liste) .  After 
dinner  von  Raben  led  me  into  the  next  room,  where  on  a 
table  a  miniature  Christmas-tree  gay  with  many-coloured 
candles  was  displayed.  At  each  corner  of  the  table,  under 
the  shade  of  the  tree,  were  laid  groups  of  presents  for 
each  one  of  us ;  mine,  I  think,  were  the  most  substantial, 
consisting  of  three  bottles  of  whisky  and  a  Huntley  and 
Palmer's  cake,  and  in  the  words  of  von  Raben  "  they  were 
to  help  me  on  my  long  journey."  The  other  presents 
were  mostly  jests. 

The  picture  of  this  little  tree  recalled  vividly  the  days 
of  one's  childhood.  The  same  magic  was  there,  and  I 
plucked  my  present  from  the  tree  as  a  matter  of  course. 

The  fort  at  Kusseri  is  typical  of  German  methods.  Its 
front  faces  to  the  west  and  has  a  length  of  something  like 
a  hundred  and  eighty  yards,  while  its  back  rests  on  the 
Logone.  It  is  very  massive,  and  the  houses  within  it  are 
practically  forts  within  a  fort.  The  amount  of  time  and 
labour  spent  on  this  place  must  have  been  prodigious,  and 
after  each  rainy  season  the  repairs  must  be  considerable. 
What  is  it  all  for,  this  great  mud-built  fort  frowning 
upon  a  peaceful  country  ?  There  is  some  excuse  in  pre- 
serving the  fort  at  Dikoa  since  it  is  of  historical  interest. 
The  population  of  Kusseri  is  very  thin,  and  I  should  think 
that  the  kupresfciiiient  of  labour  for  the  construction  of  the 


228  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

station  has  had  a  good  deal  to  do  with  that.  On  the  other 
hand,  Fort  Lamy  has  grown  very  much  since  I  was 
there  in  May,  1905.  There  is  nothing  pretentious  in  the 
native  town  or  in  the  houses  of  the  station,  and  yet  one 
has  a  feeling  that  behind  it  all  more  useful  work  has 
been  done,  and  is  going  on,  than  with  our  German  friends. 
The  French  seem  to  have  a  knack  of  collecting  and 
keeping  the  people  as  a  hen  collects  her  chickens  under 
her  wings.  The  Sultan  of  Kusseri,  Musa  by  name,  is  an 
old  man  and  has  not  much  of  a  following.  Like  Gulfei, 
Mandara,  and  Logone,  he  is  independent  of  the  Dikoa 
Sultan,  an  arrangement  the  latter  does  not  like.  Kusseri 
pays  yearly  to  the  German  Government  one  mark  on 
each  inhabitant,  and  a  certain  amount  of  labour  and 
grain ;  Gulfei,  besides  the  poll  tax,  seven  horses,  one 
canoe,  and  one  hundred  labourers  for  two  months.  In 
the  old  days  Kusseri  paid  tribute  to  the  Sultanate  of 
Bornu,  and  so  did  Mandara. 

Eabeh  stayed  twelve  days  at  Kusseri  on  his  way  to 
Kukawa,  and  Usman  Uraj,  his  lieutenant,  was  left  in 
charge  till  he  was  driven  out  by  Lamy,  who  came  from 
Gulfei.  On  the  approach  of  Lamy  on  the  latter  place, 
FaderelJa,  who  was  in  command  there,  retreated  on 
Logone.  Lamy  was  eventually  killed  by  Rabeh  on 
April  22,  1900. 

December  27. — Left  to  ford  the  river  to  Fort  Lamy. 
We  had  to  cross  about  a  mile  above  Kusseri,  and  it  was 
an  anxious  time  when  the  camels  were  crossing,  as  the 
distance  to  the  other  side  is  great,  at  least  a  mile,  and 
camels  do  not  swim,  but  simply  lie  down  in  the  water,  so 
that  if  the  cord  attached  to  the  lower  jaw  breaks  and  the 
camel  gets  separated  from  the  side  of  the  canoe,  all  is  up 
with  the  animal.  The  whole  crossing,  camels,  horses 
and  all,  was  effected  in  about  two  hours.     A  good  house 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  229 

was  ready  for  me  ;  while  Jose1  and  the  men  were  put  up 
by  the  Shereef,  the  chief  of  the  town.  Towards  evening 
Colonel  Moll  came  round  to  me  and  asked  me  to  dine 
with  him  the  next  day. 

December  28. — There  is  a  store  here  belonging  to  the 
Compagnie  Ouhame  et  de  la  Nana,  the  same  as  that  from 
which  we  bought  things  at  Krebedge  in  1905.  The  com- 
pany has  taken  over  the  entire  fleet  from  the  French 
Government  here,  supplying  the  latter  with  what  they 
require.  They  run  the  boats  up  the  Logone  as  far  as 
Ham,  whence  a  land  transport  is  made  to  Lere  on  the 
River  Kebbi. 

The  Germans  also  run  native  canoes  up  the  Logone  as 
as  far  as  Bongor,  and  then  a  land  transport  of  twelve 
days  to  Garua ;  the  journey  down  the  stream  takes  only 
four  days. 

The  Nana  Company  has  accepted  my  cheque,  and  I 
have  bought  a  few  stores  ;  but  everything  is  very  dear,  a 
bottle  of  claret  costs  six  francs.  The  money  here  is  par 
excellence  the  dollar,  but  the  five  franc,  one  franc,  and 
fifty  centimes  pieces  are  taken.  The  dollar  is  worth  three 
francs.  Light  and  dark  blue  beads  are  taken  also,  ninety 
strings  going  to  a  dollar,  and  fifteen  beads  to  each 
string. 

The  Colonel  gave  me  some  interesting  details  of  the 
fighting  at  Wadai.  An  enormous  amount  of  guns  and 
powder  was  taken.  The  Sultan,  however,  managed  to 
make  good  his  escape  with  a  large  following  into  the 
region  of  Borku.  There  were  two  fights ;  the  first  on 
June  1st  at  Chauk,  not  far  from  the  town  ;  and  the  second 
on  the  following  day  in  Wadai.  Captain  Fiegenschuh 
was  in  command  of  the  first  reconnaisance.  During  the 
fight  he  was  severely  wounded  in  the  neck,  so  the 
command  was  taken  over  by  Lieutenant  Bonneau.     The 


230  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

other  losses  were  two  tirailleurs  killed  and  six  wounded, 
two  auxiliaries  and  five  irregulars  wounded  and  two 
horses  and  a  camel  killed.  The  enemy's  losses  were  350 
killed  and  the  same  number  wounded. 

At  the  taking  of  Abechir,  on  the  2nd  of  June,  the  effec- 
tive force  was  Lieutenant  Bonneau  in  command,  with 
three  lieutenants  under  him,  six  sous  officiers,  211 
tirailleurs,  thirty-nine  auxiliaries,  300  irregulars,  and 
two  guns. 

In  the  fight  the  losses  were,  one  sergeant  wounded,  one 
tirailleur  dead  from  wounds,  six  gravely  wounded,  eight 
slightly,  four  auxiliaries  killed  and  five  wounded.  The 
enemy  lost  450  killed  and  400  wounded. 

On  the  battlefield  of  Chauk  the  enemy  left  fifteen  guns 
(rapid)  and  one  thousand  cartridges,  and  at  Abechir  a 
hundred  guns  (rapid)  and  several  thousand  cartridges. 

The  total  amount  of  guns,  &c,  taken  from  the  Sultan 
was  ten  cannon,  two  hundred  shells  with  grape-shot, 
thirty  thousand  cartridges,  eight  hundred  kegs  of  powder, 
caps,  &c. 

I  have  been  told  that  Italians  were  responsible  for 
bringing  the  guns  and  ammunition  to  Abechir,  but  I 
think  it  is  much  more  likely  that  it  was  Greek  traders 
from  Tripoli  and  Khartoum. 

So  Abechir,  that  has  been  for  so  many  years  the  bug- 
bear of  the  French,  has  at  last  fallen,  and  considering  the 
large  amount  of  ammunition  in  the  place,  the  little 
resistance  that  it  offered  was  extraordinary.  But  I  fancy 
that  for  some  time  past  the  Sultan  was  losing  followers, 
many  going  over  the  border  to  us,  probably  to  Ali 
Dinar. 

The  French  told  me  that  after  the  occupation  they 
received  an  insulting  letter  from  Ali  Dinar,  asking  them 
when  they  intended  to  leave  Abechir,  and  saying  that  if 


DIARY  OF  HIS  LAST  JOURNEY 


231 


they  wanted  to  fight  him  also  they  must  come  against 
him  with  at  least  two  thousand  men.  This  is  rather 
surprising,  for  I  was  under  the  impression  that  the 
Sultan  was  friendly  to  all  white  men,  though  especially 
to  the  English.     I  wonder  how  he  will  receive  me  ? 


December  30. — Left  Fort  Lamy  for  Abechir.  The 
expedition  is  now  pretty  well  compact,  and  I  think  that 
the  men  are  all  satisfied.  Before  reaching  Kusseri  I  had 
to  get  rid  of  one,  a  Bere-Bere,  who  was  always  trying  to 
persuade  the  others  to  go  back,  saying  that  the  Wadai 
road  was  "  no  good,"  &c.  Ever  since  he  left  the  men 
have  been  all  of  one  accord.  It  takes  some  little  time  to 
know  whom  to  take  and  whom  to  get  rid  of,  but  after  a 
week  or  two  of  marching  it  is  fairly  easy  to  pick  out  the 
best  men. 

The  expedition  now  consists  of  four  camels,  seven  horses, 
and  ten  men,  whose  names  are  as  follows  : — 


1.  Alan  na  Gudu 

(Head  horse-boy) 

(Bassama) 

2.  Dogo 

Horse-boy 

(Kanembu) 

3.  Mamadu 

>> 

(Hausa) 

4.  Abatcha 

n 

(Dikoa) 

5.  Mustapha 

>> 

(Kanembu) 

Deserted. 

6.  Adamu 

Camel-boy 

(Hausa) 

7.  Jololo 

>> 

(Kotoko) 

8.  Bakko  Lafia 

Cook 

(Hausa) 

9.  Gibberi 

Boy  (mine) 

(Shua) 

10.  Mama 

,,     (Josh's) 

(Hausa) 

Left. 

The  horses  have  come  through  very  well.  My  journey 
to  Kusseri  was  made  just  at  the  right  time  ;  a  little 
earlier  I  should  have  had  to  pass  a  big  fly-belt  between 
Kala  Mulue  and  Kusseri.  During  the  rains  from  June  to 
September  no  horses  can  live  at  Kusseri ;  they  are  all 
sent  to  Dikoa. 

Our  first  stop  was  outside  a  little  Shua  village,  as  dirty 


232  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

as  usual,  called  Njaire,  about  seven  miles  from  Fort  Lamy. 
It  made  quite  a  picturesque  camp  under  a  belt  of  shady 
trees,  spots  which  frequently  relieve  the  monotony  in  the 
otherwise  mimosa-wooded  country. — "  Toujours  les 
epines,"  as  the  French  describe  it. 

This  country,  as  far  as  we  have  gone,  has  quite  a 
different  aspect  from  that  of  Bornu.  It  is  thickly  wooded, 
in  places  giving  way  to  more  open,  park-like  expanses 
with  groups  of  trees  of  fair  growth,  generally  the  mimosa 
and  "  adwa  "  tree. 

The  whole  ground  is  a  clear  straw  colour,  being  strewn 
with  dried-up  grass  that  has  been  beaten  into  little  bits 
by  the  feet  of  many  cattle,  a  uniformity  of  colour  which 
is  not  unfrequently  broken  in  the  distance  by  spots  of 
bright  green  that  mark  the  presence  of  water,  if  not  now, 
at  least  in  the  rainy  season. 

December  31. — Made  no  start  to-day  as  the  camel 
"  Kiari  "  has  a  bad  foot. 


DIARY  OF  HIS  LAST  JOURNEY         233 


1910 


January  1. — Once  more  a  New  Year.  May  all 
those  dear  to  me  at  home  have  lived  to  see  its  beginning 
and  may  they  live  to  see  its  end  !  I  do  not  know  what 
is  in  store  for  me,  but  I  hope  to  reach  Khartoum  by  the 
end  of  April. 

January  10. — Our  second  day's  march  brought  us  into 
thick  forests  of  mimosa,  very  different  from  the  fertile 
scenery  of  Bornu,  where  the  eye  wanders  over  vast 
stretches  of  cultivation,  the  presence  of  tree-life  only 
marked  by  dark  bunches  here  and  there  of  the  thick  fig- 
tree.  But  here  the  gaze  rests  for  a  time  upon  the  delicate 
tracery  of  the  thorn-trees,  almost  toy-like  in  their  appear- 
ance, their  brick-red  stems  and  branches  so  lightly  fringed 
with  bright  green  leaf  and  crowned  with  flower-balls  of 
pale  saffron  that  lend  a  strange  contrast  to  the  forest,  but 
all  the  trees  are  not  like  these,  for  the  stems  and  branches 
of  some  are  a  pale  green. 

Besides   the  endless  winding  through  thick  forests  of 


234  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

thorn,  we  now  and  again  had  to  cross  reedy  strips  or 
rather  channels  formed  by  the  backwaters  of  the  Ba 
Ligna.  These  in  the  Arab  tongue  are  called  "  Masse,"  as 
opposed  to  Ba,  meaning  a  river.  Amongst  the  thorn 
forest  there  are  small  groups  of  peculiar  looking  trees, 
now  leafless,  and  their  bark  has  almost  the  look  of  silver. 
They  appear  from  their  stunted  limbs  and  branches  to 
have  stopped  growing  before  their  time  and  remind  one 
very  much  of  miniature  baobab-trees. 

Up  to  the  present  there  has  not  been  much  game  on 
the  road.  This  is  a  pity,  as  it  makes  all  the  difference 
to  the  "pot."  I  leave  this  work  to  Jose  when  on  the 
march,  as  it  is  difficult  for  me  to  leave  the  road  after 
any  game  as  I  am  occupied  with  my  mapping.  Camels 
come  in  now  very  conveniently,  for  as  a  rule  we  can 
always  manage  to  put  on  one  of  them  an  animal  bodily, 
without  having  to  cut  it  up.  Bush  pig,  the  red-fronted 
gazelle  (rufifrons)  and  Senegal  hartebeest  are  all  the  game 
we  have  seen,  and  these  not  in  very  great  numbers,  for  the 
country  is  too  enclosed,  and  water  just  now  is  scarce. 
As  regards  bird  life,  the  birds  are  practically  the  same  as 
I  obtained  in  Bornu.  Africa  is  such  a  bad  place  for  the 
memory  that  I  shall  not  attempt  to  remember  all  the 
scientific  names.  I  have  seen  the  black  and  white  horn- 
bill,  the  little  rufous  thrush  (Sylvia),  the  bush  blackbird, 
long-tailed  glossy  starling  (Lamprotornis),  glossy  starling 
(Lamprocolius) ,  coly-bird  (Colius),  Petronia,  carmine- 
breasted  bee-eater  (Merops),  small  green  bee-eater,  long- 
tailed  dove  (Anna),  black  and  white  crow  (Corvus), 
rock-pheasant  (Ptylopachys),  finch  lark  (Pyrrhulauda) , 
Telephonus,  white-winged  starling,  weaver  starling, 
anthus,  roller  (Coracias  caudatus),  Melanobucco  vieilloti, 
ground     hornbill,     Bornu     quail,     Coturnix,     Columba 


DIARY   OF  HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  235 

guiniensis,  and  hosts  of  guinea-fowl.  It  is  no  exaggera- 
tion to  say  that  I  have  seen  sometimes  nearly  two 
hundred  in  one  bevy ;  they  have  literally  blackened  the 
ground.  They  are  a  great  nuisance  as  they  prevent 
one's  approaching  game.* 

The  natives  catch  a  great  number  by  netting  them  in 
the  pools  where  they  come  to  drink.  From  the  top  string 
which  surrounds  the  pool  not  more  than  a  foot  above  the 
ground  are  hung  rows  of  nooses,  which  tighten  round 
the  bodies  of  the  guinea-fowl  as  they  attempt  to  get 
through  them,  and  then  they  are  pounced  upon  by  the 
native  fowler,  who  sits  hidden  at  some  distance  in  a  rough 
straw  shelter.  Another  method  employed  is  to  poison  the 
water  with  a  certain  kind  of  tree  bark  which  is  boiled 
down  and  then  put  in  the  water.  It  has  the  effect  of 
intoxicating  the  birds,  and  then  they  are  easily  knocked  on 
the  head. 

I  shall  not  go  through  the  doings  of  every  day's 
march  as  many  pass  without  incident  and  one  does  not 
meet  with  new  things  every  day. 

We  are  still  in  the  land  of  the  Shua.  On  January  5th, 
after  a  long,  hot,  and  dusty  march,  we  turned  off  the 
main  road  and  put  up  outside  a  small  Shua  encamp- 
ment. It  consisted  of  a  large  circular  space  formed 
by  rough  shelters  made  of  large  woven  mats  stretched 
over  a  slight  framework  of  sticks,  each  dwelling  having 
the  appearance  of  the  back  of  a  gigantic  beetle.  Owing 
to  the  waterless  nature  of  the  country  these  people  are 
constantly  moving  from  one  place  to  another,  ever 
seeking  a  supply  of  water  and  food  for  their  cattle. 
Their  encampments  are  soon  shifted  and  they  are  quickly 
on  the  move.  The  big  mats  that  form,  as  I  have 
*  The  Arab  name  for  the  guinea-fowl  is  Aswella. — Author. 


236  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

described,  the  roofs  of  these  primitive  dwellings  are 
rolled  up  and  hung  as  a  rule  on  either  flank  of  their 
bullocks,  together  with  their  other  belongings.  It  is  a 
picturesque  sight  when  on  the  march  to  come  suddenly 
face  to  face  at  some  bend  of  the  winding  road  with  a 
column  of  these  people  on  the  move.  A  string  of  slow- 
swaying  bullocks  piled  up  with  all  the  odds  and  ends 
of  the  nomads'  wants — mats  and  skins,  calabashes, 
drinking-gourds  containing  water  that  is  foul-smelling  with 
the  odour  of  their  rancid  butter,  and  roughly  sewn  leather 
bags  bulging  with  grain.  On  the  top  of  all  this  motley 
collection  of  goods  is  perched  the  driver,  generally  the 
wife  of  the  owner  of  the  ox,  and  behind  her  perhaps  one 
or  two  tiny  children,  while  walking  along  by  the  side  of 
the  oxen  are  shepherd-men  and  skin-clad  boys,  shoulder- 
ing spears,  with  long  blades  glinting  in  the  sunlight. 

At  the  encampment  we  stayed  near,  I  was  much  struck 
with  the  number  of  pale-skinned  people.  To  my  mind 
they  represented  more  nearly  the  original  Shua  than 
those  I  have  met  with  in  the  Kotoko  country  and  else- 
where. The  very  fact  of  their  wandering  life,  almost 
entirely  confined  to  the  bush,  prevents  them  from 
intermarrying  so  much  with  the  people  of  the  towns, 
as  in  the  case  of  the  Kotoko-Shua  who  live  in 
permanent  villages.  They  correspond,  in  fact,  to  the 
Borroro-Fulani,  and  might  be  called  in  the  same  way  the 
Borroro-Shua. 

Our  resting-place  for  the  night  is  generally  a  Shua 
village  or  encampment.  The  huts  are  dirty  in  the 
extreme,  reeking  with  cattle  urine,  but  after  a  time  one 
gets  used  to  anything  out  here.  The  incoming  of  the 
cattle  marks  the  fall  of  the  evening.  The  sun  goes  down 
amid  a  rosy  splendour  that  fades  upward  into  the  palest 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  237 

yellow,  then  into  the  green  of  a  duck's  egg.  A  cloud  of 
ascending  dust  away  yonder  outside  the  village  foretells 
the  home-coming  of  the  cattle  and  sheep,  that  low  and 
bleat  softly  with  tired  contentment.  Nearer  rolls  the 
cloud,  black,  slow-pacing  objects  loom  out,  and  in  a  short 
time  one  is  breathing  dust,  and  everything  is  enveloped 
in  it  till  one  can  hardly  see  across  the  open  space,  formed 
by  the  huts  of  village,  where  the  cattle  are  to  rest  for  the 
night.  Then  the  dust  lifts,  and  the  whole  large 
space  is  disclosed  to  view,  this  time  alive  with  cattle  of 
all  kinds — oxen,  sheep,  and  goats — while  many  skin-clad 
herdsmen  can  be  seen  busy  tethering  their  charges  to  big 
stakes  driven  into  the  ground.  This  is  not  done  without 
a  little  trouble,  for  sometimes  stubborn  oxen  will  break 
away  from  the  rest  and  go  wandering  about  the  village. 
A  stranger  will  always  arouse  their  curiosity.  Often  has 
an  ox  come  and  sniffed  my  hand  and  then  almost  charged 
at  my  table.  The  hubbub  subsides,  and  the  motionless 
forms  of  prostrate  cattle  mark  the  peaceful  end  of  their 
weary  day.  Then  in  the  darkening  fires  peep  out  in 
front  of  every  hut,  and  recumbent  and  squatting  figures 
are  thrown  up  distinctly  and  all  their  gestures  can  be 
noticed.  One  is  telling  to  the  others  a  tale  of  old  days ; 
another  shows  his  gleaming  teeth,  and  another  moves  to 
stir  the  fire  into  a  blaze.  Soon  the  evening  wears  into  the 
night,  and  then  there  is  not  much  peace  about  an  Arab 
village,  for  as  soon  as  the  noises  of  the  cattle  have  sub- 
sided and  the  women  have  left  off  pounding  their  corn,  the 
night  is  made  hideous  with  the  incessant  barking  of  the 
pariah  dogs.  They  are  indeed  loathsome  animals  ;  ill— 
shapen,  and  half  starved,  they  run  about  the  village 
throughout  the  night,  frantically  picking  up  what  offal 
they  can  find.     One  bark  is  enough  to  set  every  dog  in 


238  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

the  village  yelping  for  no  reason  at  all,  and  it  makes  one 
shudder  with  repulsion  to  hear  them  fighting  among 
themselves,  for  the  pent-up  venom  of  years  seems  to  be 
expressed  in  their  snarls.  Then  there  are  other  noises  to 
get  accustomed  to — the  restless  bleating  of  lambs  that  for 
the  time  being  have  lost  their  mothers,  the  deeper  low  of 
oxen,  the  cry  of  a  baby  at  the  breast,  and  the  shrieks  of  a 
woman  being  beaten  by  her  husband.  And  so  the  un- 
willing listener  lies  hour  after  hour  wide  awake,  and  each 
sound  as  it  comes  seems  to  bite  itself  into  the  brain,  and 
when  at  last  the  deep  sleep  of  utter  weariness  comes  to 
him  in  the  early  hours  of  the  morning  all  the  sounds  are 
echoed  back  again  in  his  dreams. 

After  leaving  Abu  Idielli  we  travelled  for  a  time 
through  a  different  forest  from  that  of  the  mimosa  :  rough, 
ill-grown  trees  with  branches  much  contorted  and  opaque 
leaves  of  an  oval  pattern,  the  whole  tree  reminding  one 
very  much  of  the  Shea  butter-tree.  Long  elephant-grass 
burnt  to  a  straw  colour  was  everywhere. 

The  last  few  days  have  brought  us  into  a  very  inter- 
esting country.  All  the  villages  are  deserted,  and  the 
people  have  made  encampments  in  the  bush  wherever 
they  can  find  water.  What  water  there  is  is  terrible, 
for  there  are  no  wells,  and  the  water  is  obtained  from 
stagnant  ponds,  which  out  here  are  generally  marked 
by  the  presence  of  acacia  groves.  At  these  the  cattle 
come  to  drink,  standing  knee-deep  in  the  water,  and 
in  them  the  people  wash  themselves,  and  from  them 
they  take  the  water  for  drinking  purposes.  So  the 
state  of  the  water  can  easily  be  imagined.  It  is  a  poor 
country,  and  the  French  must  get  next  to  nothing  out  of 
it.  Certainly  they  work  it  on  the  cheapest  lines  possible. 
There  are   no  roads,  the  posts   are  far   apart,  and  run 


DIARY   OF  HIS  LAST  JOURNEY  239 

with  the  minimum  number  of  officials,  and  the  soldiers 
are  a  ragged  lot.  The  transport  is  by  oxen  supplied 
by  the  Arabs  and  Shuas,  who  receive  the  payment  of 
two  dollars  per  bullock  for  every  six  days  of  transport, 
and  no  payment  is  given  to  villages  who  supply  food 
to  a  column  on  the  march.  So  travelling  out  here  on 
the  French  lines  costs  next  to  nothing.  I  always  pay 
for  what  I  get,  the  expenses  generally  coming  to  about 
a  shilling  a  day  for  feeding  ten  men  and  seven 
horses. 

At  the  Shua  village  we  stayed  in,  after  Abu  Idielli, 
I  had  a  disagreeable  experience ;  I  found  a  lot  of  pow- 
dered glass  in  one  of  the  rissoles  I  ate  for  luncheon. 
I  called  Jose,  who  confirmed  my  opinion.  I  cannot 
believe  it  was  done  on  purpose,  as  in  my  case  there 
could  be  no  motive.  This  is  the  usual  means  employed 
by  the  natives  to  put  white  men  out  of  the  way. 
Another  method  is  a  poisoned  needle,  with  which  a 
prick  is  given  to  the  victim  at  a  convenient  oppor- 
tunity, such  as  when  he  is  mounting  his  horse. 

January  12. — A  long  march,  something  like  twenty- 
four  miles,  brought  us  to  Mwato.  This  is  a  deserted 
French  post ;  two  white  men  are  buried  here.  The 
native  town,  which  is  a  large  one,  is  Bulala,  and  lies 
at  the  base  of  a  small  isolated  group  of  stony  hills  from 
two  hundred  to  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  height, 
which  rise  out  of  an  open  plain.  They  are  the  home  of 
many  black  and  white  crows.  The  day  after  our  arrival 
was  the  market  day.  Towards  noon  it  was  at  its  height, 
the  greater  part  consisting  of  women,  who  either  arrived 
with  their  wares  on  bullocks  or  carried  them  in  grass- 
woven  baskets  huug  from  each  end  of  a  stick  balanced 


240  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

over  the  shoulder.  The  quarter  of  the  market  where 
the  women  congregated  was  almost  unbearable  from 
the  smell  of  rancid  butter-oil  with  which  their  hair  was 
soaked,  and  to  such  an  extent  that  it  streamed  on 
to  their  shoulders  and  down  their  backs.  Their  coif- 
fure is  remarkable ;  they  wear  the  same  side  plaits  as 
the  Shua,  but  the  centre  plait  is  much  exaggerated, 
running  over  the  crown  in  the  form  of  a  great  ques- 
tion mark,  thus  :  ?  ;  the  front  end  is  terminated  by  an 
oblong  piece  of  wood  encased  in  leather.  This  extra- 
ordinary ornament  is  worn  till  it  practically  falls  to 
pieces,  often  being  kept  on  for  several  months  before 
it  is  replaced  by  another.  In  a  woman  greatly  adorned 
the  plaits  of  hair  that  hang  down  on  each  side  of  the 
head  are  rolled  and  plastered  over  with  grease  till  they 
look  like  elongated  sausages. 

The  Bulala  are  the  "  kurdi,"  or  bush  people,  of  the 
country.  They  are  poor,  and  though  they  possess  towns 
of  their  own,  many  are  found  living  with  the  Arabs, 
who  are  the  owners  of  all  the  stock  in  the  country. 
They  have  a  language  of  their  own,  but  also  speak 
Arabic.  The  way  a  woman  of  this  tribe  greets  her 
husband  or  a  "big  man"  is  pretty.  It  may  be  that 
the  husband  is  returning  from  his  day's  work  or  from 
some  business  in  a  neighbouring  town.  The  woman, 
as  he  enters  the  village,  runs  to  meet  him,  and  then 
drops  on  her  knees  before  him ;  simultaneously  the  man 
does  the  same  thing,  and  they  kneel  facing  one  another, 
the  while  she  gives  him  greetings,  followed  by  questions 
as  to  how  he  has  fared  throughout  the  day. 

At  the  market  we  were  able  to  buy  for  dollars  the 
money  of  the  country,  which  is  strips  of  the  native 
cloth.     Ten  strips  go  to  the  dollar,  one  strip  being  the 


DIARY  OF  HIS  LAST  JOURNEY         241 

length  from  the  tip  of  the  finger  to  the  elbow-joint, 
measured  four  times.  The  Arab  name  is  gabbuk.  It 
is  bulky  stuff  to  carry  about.  Though  the  dollar,  of 
course,  is  almighty  throughout  the  country,  it  is  use- 
less for  small  purchases.  This  is  a  great  drawback 
sometimes,  for  one  gets  a  "  dash  "  in  return,  which  is 
often  not  worth  a  dollar.  The  French  coins  are  only 
accepted  by  the  natives  in  Fort  Lamy  and  its  neigh- 
bourhood, and  I  suppose  this  would  also  apply  to  other 
posts.  With  the  French  method  of  travelling  money 
is  not  required,  and  I  suppose  this  accounts  a  great 
deal  for  the  small  circulation  of  their  coins,  and,  besides, 
the  dollar  is  preferred  by  the  Arabs  to  anything  else. 

Towards  evening  I  went  down  with  fever  and  vomit- 
ing, the  same  form  as  I  had  at  Konduga. 

January  14. — Another  return  of  the  fever  with  much 
vomiting  ;  I  am  inclined  to  put  this  down  to  the  north 
winds,  which  during  the  last  few  days  have  commenced 
to  blow  very  strong.  The  beginning  of  the  harmattan 
heralded  my  attack  at  Konduga.  It  may  be  a  form  of 
influenza.  There  are  certainly  no  mosquitoes  about 
Mwato. 

January  16. — Left  Mwato.  The  day  before  the  Ka- 
nembu,  Mustapha,  "did  a  guy."  He  evidently  joined 
a  Kanuri  caravan  which  was  on  its  way  down  from 
Fittri.  Funk  was  at  the  bottom  of  it,  for  we  after- 
wards heard  that  the  headman  of  the  caravan  had  held 
forth  to  him  about  the  waterless  condition  of  the  road 
in  front.  This  makes  the  fifth  Kanuri  who  has  failed 
me.     They  are  a  worthless  lot. 

A  few  days  before  this  I  had  to  dismiss  Mama  at  a 

17 


242  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

moment's  notice.  I  felt  rather  sorry  for  him  in  the 
morning,  as  he  turned  to  go,  saying  "goodbye"  to  his 
old  companions  with  tears  in  his  eyes  ;  but  he  shouldered 
his  little  bundle  bravely  and  started  off  to  tramp  alone 
the  long  journey  back  to  Nigeria.  An  incident  of  this 
kind  always  upsets  me  for  some  days  to  follow.  Our 
numbers  are  now  reduced  to  eight. 

Although  the  character  of  the  country  hardly  differs  in 
the  main,  the  almost  eternal  mimosa-tree  gives  way  in 
places  to  other  growth,  and  groups  of  the  "  dum  "  palm, 
with  clumps  of  the  young  plant  spread  here  and  there 
amongst  the  tall  dried-up  grass  (Hausa,  gabar  rua). 

The  nut  of  this  palm,  about  the  size  and  colour  of  a 
red  plum,  is  eaten  by  the  natives.  It  is  very  hard,  and 
the  outside  only  is  eaten,  being  literally  gnawed  off  the 
big  kernel.     It  is  a  poor  substitute  for  sugar. 

January  18. — Immeda,  a  small  Bulala  village  about 
four  days  from  Yao.  Our  stay  here  was  marked  with 
disasters.  Jose  arrived  ill  and  in  great  pain,  the  result 
of  former  illness  and  neglect.  He  was  in  great  pain  for 
two  days  and  nights.  I  could  do  but  little  for  him, 
except  give  him  morphia  and  salicin.  The  third  day 
he  mended.  To  add  to  this  trouble,  one  of  the  camel- 
boys  came  home  the  second  evening,  as  the  darkness 
was  falling,  to  say  he  had  lost  the  camels.  It  appears 
that  at  midday  he  felt  hungry,  so  left  the  camels  a  good 
half-hour  from  the  village  to  take  care  of  themselves 
while  he  went  to  forage  for  "  chop."  During  his  absence 
his  charge  also  went  aforaging  to  wider  fields.  There  is 
no  doubt  he  made  a  frantic  search  after  them  through 
the  thick  thorn  bush,  remembering  a  previous  sore  back, 
for  he  returned  to  camp  with  his  clothes  full  of  tatters, 


DIARY  OF  HIS   LAST  JOURNEY         243 

as  if  he  had  fallen  into  a  gooseberry  bush.  With  all  the 
men  I  could  get  I  posted  off  to  where  the  camels  were 
last  seen.  Just  outside  the  village  we  found  two  of  them 
lying  down  in  a  corn  patch,  and  this  left  two  to  be  found, 
and  they  were  the  best.  As  soon  as  we  got  away  from 
the  village  I  made  the  men  spread  out  on  either  side  of 
the  path,  and  search  the  ground  by  the  light  of  surround- 
ing bush  fires  which  the  village  people  had  lit.  But 
after  a  good  hour's  search  nothing  came  of  it,  and, 
realising  the  hopelessness  of  the  hunt,  we  returned  to 
camp. 

The  whole  of  the  next  day  men  scoured  the  country  in 
all  directions,  but  without  success,  and  it  really  seemed  as 
though  it  were  easier  to  find  a  needle  in  a  bundle  of  hay 
than  to  catch  the  camel's  eye. 

Towards  noon  of  the  following  day,  just  as  I  was 
starting  in  the  heat  on  a  second  search,  I  looked  up  and 
beheld  one  of  the  truants  being  driven  into  camp,  but 
there  was  still  Kiari  (Kanuri  for  "  old  ")  to  be  found,  and  he 
defeated  our  efforts  for  another  day.  Towards  evening  of 
the  next  day  the  manner  of  his  capture  was  as  follows. 
An  old  man  gathering  simples  in  the  bush  came  upon  the 
place  where  Kiari  had  slept  the  night  before.  But  being 
too  old  and  blind  to  follow  up  the  spoor,  he  sent  in  his 
little  boy  to  tell  the  Sultan  of  the  village  the  news.  The 
Sultan,  though  well  past  the  age  of  sixty,  and  thin  and 
wizened,  at  once  mounted  his  Rosanant6  and  ambled 
off  with  two  trusty  followers  to  track  the  camel.  Just 
at  dusk  he  came  in  and  reined  up  his  steed  in  front  of 
where  I  and  Jose  were  sitting  and  shook  his  spear  in 
triumph. 

The  next  moment  the  time-worn  head  of  Kiari  came 
round  the  corner,  in  a  dignified  brown  study,  and 
indifferent  to  all  the  fuss  he  had  caused. 


244  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

January  29. — Jose  was  well  enough  for  another 
journey,  and  we  put  up  at  an  Arab  village,  called 
Abbagowada,  where  there  are  wells,  a  great  thing  after 
the  mud  we  have  been  drinking.  After  drinking  one's 
tea  a  thick  layer  of  dirt  always  covered  the  bottom  of 
the  cup. 

We  really  had  to  leave  the  last  place  because  the  water 
was  nearly  finished.  The  people  were  making  frantic 
efforts  to  reach  water  by  making  a  well,  but  they  had  not 
succeeded  up  to  the  time  when  we  left. 

February  1. — Jose  went  out  to  look  for  giraffe  and 
came  upon  a  herd  of  seven.  He  hit  one  of  them  in  the 
neck  as  they  were  going  away.  It  fell,  but  on  his 
approach  got  up  again  and  made  for  him,  striking  out  at 
the  same  time  with  its  forefeet.  A  second  shot  was  its 
coup  de  grace.  It  was  a  fine  male,  and  there  was  great 
rejoicing  in  the  village,  and  the  meat  fed  the  whole 
people.  From  Fort  Lamy  up  to  this  place  the  bag  has 
been  two  pigs,  twenty-one  gazelle,  and  one  giraffe. 

February  3. — Jose's  boy,  Abatchi,  ran  away  during  the 
night.  He  is  a  Kanuri ;  further  comment  on  these 
people  is  useless. 

My  numbers  are  reduced  to  seven.  It  reminds  one  of 
the  "ten  little  nigger  boys."  Jose  left  this  morning  in 
hot  pursuit,  but  I  have  my  doubts  as  to  whether  he  will 
catch  him. 

February  4. — To  my  surprise  Jose  returned  early  this 
morning  bringing  with  him  the  miscreant,  Abatchi.  His 
manner  of  catching  him  was  quite  skilful.  It  appears 
that  he  made  for  Immeda,  the  place  where  Jose  was  so 
sick.  Here  the  water  is  a  good  half-hour  from  the 
village.  Jose  found  out  that  he  had  not  passed  the 
village,  so  was  evidently  hiding  somewhere  outside.     He, 


DIARY   OF  HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  245 

therefore,  sent  on  one  of  the  men  to  patrol  the  road  in 
front  to  the  next  town  and  so  cut  off  the  boy's  progress  in 
that  direction.  Another  man  was  sent  to  guard  the 
water.  The  little  devil  certainly  had  taken  pains  to  baffle 
pursuit.  So  that  his  footprints  might  not  be  traced, 
Jose  found  that  he  had  constantly  broken  his  spoor  by 
taking  off  his  shoes  and  then  after  some  distance  putting 
them  on  again ;  also  by  doubling  back  on  his  steps  and 
going  from  one  side  of  the  road  to  the  other.  He  had 
also  taken  with  him  a  piece  of  paper,  which  he  showed  to 
some  men  on  the  road  who  asked  him  where  he  was 
going,  saying  he  was  carrying  a  white  man's  letter.  The 
same  men  met  Jose  and  told  him  that  they  had  met  the 
boy,  so  Jose  immediately  sent  Dogo  on  ahead  as  fast  as 
possible. 

Dogo  practically  arrived  at  the  village  the  same  time  as 
the  boy,  who,  catching  sight  first  of  his  pursuer,  as  the 
man  was  on  horseback,  hid  in  the  bush.  He  then  to  his 
dismay  saw  Dogo  pass  through  the  village  on  to  the  road 
beyond,  thereby  cutting  off  his  way  to  the  next  town. 
The  boy  then  crept  round  to  where  the  people  had  sunk  a 
well  and  hid  in  the  long  grass  close  to  it.  On  his  arrival 
at  the  village  Jose  gave  orders  to  the  Sultan  to  have 
men  posted  on  the  look-out.  It  was  a  hot  day,  and 
towards  four  o'clock  the  boy,  parched  with  thirst,  made 
an  attempt  to  reach  the  well,  but  he  was  detected 
leaving  his  place  of  hiding.  The  game  was  up,  he  gave 
in  quietly,  saying  "  Not  much  longer.  I  should  have  died 
of  thirst."  The  boy  has  had  a  lesson  he  will  not  readily 
forget,  for  besides  a  flogging  he  had  field  imprisonment 
Number  1  for  three  hours  in  the  village — that  is,  being 
tied  up  by  the  hands  to  a  branch  of  a  tree  in  a  standing 
position.  This  practically  answers  to  the  stocks.  It  has 
an  excellent  effect,  as  there  is  hardly  a  punishment  the 


246  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

native  hates  more  than  being  made  a  butt  for  the  laughs 
and  jeers  of  all  the  people. 

February  5. — My  bed  has  come  to  an  end.  I  have 
everything  to  say  in  favour  of  the  "  Compactum  "  camp- 
bed.  You  cannot  better  it.  With  such  continual 
marching  as  I  have  had  to  do  the  canvas  top  should  be 
doubled,  and  in  its  present  form  I  should  not  reckon  its 
life  at  more  than  a  year  when  continually  used  on 
the  trek. 

Now  I  lie  upon  a  native  mat,  rather  hard,  but  my 
bones  will  have  to  get  used  to  a  good  deal  more  before  I 
have  finished  with  them.  The  night's  rest  is  disturbed  by 
rats  running  over  one,  while  in  the  thatch  of  the  huts 
there  are  snakes  that  might  come  nigh  one  for  warmth. 

At  the  place  where  Jose  was  so  sick  ten  Hausas,  seven 
men  and  three  women,  arrived  one  evening  on  their 
return  journey  from  Mecca.  It  is  wonderful  how  these 
people  get  about.  They  were  natives  of  Bautchi,  and  so 
far  the  journey  had  taken  them  five  years.  Several  of 
them  had  donkeys.  It  is  the  humble  "  moke  "  that  as  a 
rule  takes  these  pilgrims  to  Mecca.  Their  travelling 
expenses  are  not  very  heavy,  for  they  are  always  given 
food  and  quarters  for  the  night  at  whatever  village  they 
stay  in.  As  a  rule  the  "big  men"  of  the  village  club 
together  to  supply  their  needs. 

February  6. — Jernabarra.  We  are  now  amongst  the 
Bulala  people ;  their  big  king  lives  at  Fittri,  which  we 
shall  reach  to-morrow. 

On  the  road  to-day  ten  fine  ostriches,  all  mantled  with 
great  waving  plumes,  crossed  the  roads  ahead  of  us.  Jose 
was  after  them  like  lightning  and  wounded  one,  but  not 
enough  to  stop  it,  unfortunately.  Unless  one  disables 
them  in  the  leg  one  stands  but  little  chance  of  getting 


DIARY  OF   HIS  LAST  JOURNEY         247 

them,  for  if  they  are  hit  only  in  the  body  they  go  a  long 
way  before  they  fall,  and  the  course  of  a  wounded  bird  is 
so  erratic  that  the  hunter  in  following  it  runs  a  great 
chance  of  getting  lost. 

February  7. — After  leaving  Jernabarra  the  road  emerged 
on  to  a  vast  open  plain,  a  great  straw-coloured  expanse 
that  met  the  sky,  and  we  knew  that  we  were  approaching 
Lake  Fittri.  Crested  cranes  moved  here  and  there  over 
the  plain,  while  overhead  in  the  far  distance  flights  of 
plover  and  redshank  kept  passing  from  the  northward 
towards  the  Lake,  now  mere  specks  in  the  sky,  now  so 
distant  that  the  flocks  seemed  to  dissolve  into  mere 
wreaths  of  smoke.  It  is  good  to  gaze  over  a  great  bound- 
less tract  like  this.  It  refreshes  the  brain  and  spurs  it  on 
to  swifter  flights  of  thought. 

After  a  very  tiring  march  of  twenty-three  miles  we 
arrived  at  Yao. 

This  is  a  French  post  with  one  officer  and  about  fifty 
men.  We  found  it  very  deserted,  for  a  sergeant  with 
half  the  men  had  left  for  Abechir,  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  which  the  French  have  met  with  a  disaster.  It 
appears  that  Captain  Fiegenschuh,  who  was  the  first 
man  to  enter  Abechir,  left  on  a  reconnaissance  into 
Dar  Massalit,  a  kingdom  about  four  days  to  the  south- 
east of  Abechir.  He  interviewed  the  Sultan,  who  at 
once  showed  himself  friendly.  The  French  force  then 
bivouacked  for  the  night,  but  under  the  cloak  of  feigned 
friendship  the  Sultan  had  collected  all  his  men  and 
hidden  them  in  the  surrounding  bush,  and  at  a  given 
signal  the  French,  unsuspicious  of  this  treachery,  were 
surrounded  and  overpowered  by  superior  force.  Captain 
Fiegenschuh,  two  lieutenants,  two  sergeants,  and  over 
fifty  file  were  massacred.  Nine  men  effected  their 
escape    to   tell    the   news   at   Abechir.      The    fight,   or 


248  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

rather  massacre,  occurred  the  next  day.  It  appears 
that  the  soldiers  had  some  warning  that  an  attack  was 
imminent,  and  a  rush  for  arms  was  made,  hut  Fiegens- 
chuh  forbade  any  resistance.  "  C'est  magnifique,  mais 
ce  n'est  pas  la  guerre."  One  must  pay  back  Arabs  in 
their  own  coin. 

I  think  I  have  understood  this  situation,  and  I  feel 
sorry  for  the  French,  since  they  have  to  suffer  for  the 
foolhardy  action  of  one  man,  who  has  brought  disaster 
close  to  the  gates  of  Abechir.  Fiegenschuh  was  a  man 
with  whom  courage  outweighed  all  other  considerations ; 
he  did  not  recognise  discretion.  Left  in  command  at 
Abechir  after  the  departure  of  Commandant  Brissot, 
instead  of  devoting  his  efforts  to  consolidating  the 
power  of  the  French  in  the  capital,  he  marched  off  on 
an  armed  and  quite  unnecessary  reconnaissance  into  the 
country  to  the  east,  a  rash  exploit  which  terminated  in 
the  fatal  results  I  have  already  recorded.  That  is  the 
situation. 

By  this  foolhardy  action  the  French  are  plunged  into 
another  war  which  at  this  time  they  can  ill  support. 

They  now  are  scraping  up  all  the  men  they  can.  Both 
the  posts  of  Yao  and  Athi  are  to  be  left  in  charge  of 
Sultans.  Every  available  soldier  and  man  has  orders  to 
proceed  to  Abechir.  I  can  only  comment  upon  and  make 
deductions  from  what  I  have  heard,  but  the  situation 
is  serious.  By  the  French  disaster  the  Sultan  of  Dar 
Massalit  will  have  gained  in  power,  both  in  arms  and 
prestige,  and  consequently  the  French  will  have  to  look 
to  it  well  that  they  do  not  suffer  another  reverse.  Should 
this  happen,  Abechir  would  in  all  probability  rise  against 
them.  A  disaster  of  this  kind  would  have  far-reaching 
results. 

On  the  map  Dar  Massalit  is  marked  as  being  almost 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  249 

close  to  Abechir  (el  Fachir  route),  so  this  does  not  look 
very  hopeful  for  me.  It  seems  that  the  French  have 
made  a  mess  of  it.  What  were  they  doing  in  that 
direction  ?  Dar  Massalit  is  within  the  region  of  British 
influence. 

When  the  French  entered  Abechir  it  was  deserted. 
Every  one  had  made  good  his  escape.  It  was  extra- 
ordinary what  was  left  behind,  not  only  in  the  king's 
palace,  but  in  many  of  the  "big  men's"  houses;  most 
costly  blankets  and  other  stuffs  of  European  manu- 
facture, all  having  come  from  Tripoli.  After  the 
occupation  it  was  ten  days  before  any  sign  was  made 
on  the  part  of  the  inhabitants  to  come  into  the  French. 
Abechir  cannot  be  said  to  be  subdued,  for  all  the  men 
of  influence  have  escaped,  and  I  think  that  they  are  only 
waiting  for  some  reverse  to  the  French  arms  to  come 
back  and  retake  the  place.  Abechir  has  for  years  been 
the  refuge  of  all  the  "  bad  hats  "  under  the  African  sun. 
Situated  as  it  is,  in  the  very  heart  of  Africa,  it  has 
become  the  asylum  for  all  those  who  have  had  no  use 
for  the  New  Africa.  The  occupation  of  Abechir  by  the 
French  has  been  to  scatter  all  these  parasites  over  the 
land,  just  as  a  lump  of  quicksilver  breaks  up  when 
touched  by  the  hand.  Many  of  the  roads  are  infested 
with  bands  of  robbers  who  raid  travellers  and  take  from 
them  cattle  and  horses.  The  Commandant,  who  passed 
up  to  Abechir  the  other  day,  had  his  horse  taken  during 
the  night.  I  wonder  what  chance  I  have  got  with  my 
seven  horses  !  The  French  have  no  force  to  put  this 
lawlessness  down.  The  robbers  go  off  into  Kanem  with 
their  booty. 

After  leaving  Jernabarra  the  ground  rises  very  gradually 
up  to  Yao  the  whole  way.  The  post  of  Yao,  which  is 
small  but  compact,  is  close  to  the  Bulala  town,  beyond 


250  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

which  is  the  Lake.  Directly  behind  the  post  and  to 
the  north  of  it  is  a  remarkable  kopje  of  stone,  some- 
thing after  the  nature  of  granite,  the  only  prominent 
feature  in  the  vast  open  plain  that  surrounds  the  Lake. 
In  the  vicinity  of  the  Lake  much  "  Mussakowa"  is  grown  ; 
the  soil  is  of  that  chalk-clay  which  favours  it. 

From  the  top  of  the  kopje  the  water  of  the  Lake 
can  be  seen,  with  the  silver  streak  of  the  Bahr  Batha 
flowing  into  it  at  its  eastern  end.  About  the  middle  of 
the  rainy  season,  which  is  from  May  to  September, 
the  Lake  begins  to  fill  up,  spreading  over  a  great  tract 
of  country,  and  almost  right  up  to  the  town  of  Yao 
itself,  forming  in  many  places  backwaters,  called  in 
Arabic  "Masse."  At  the  present  time  the  open  water 
itself  must  be  at  least  a  mile  from  the  town,  but  it  is 
impossible  to  reach  it,  as  vast  swampy  reed-beds  enclose 
it. 

The  town  of  Yao  is  the  headquarters  of  the  Bulala 
Sultan,  Assan.  He  is  a  big,  strongly  built  man,  and  is 
most  kingly  in  his  movements.  His  head  is  massive 
and  his  features  blunt  and  of  a  knotty  character,  like 
the  bark  of  some  time-worn  tree.  Physically,  the 
Bulala  are  strong  and  well  built,  both  men  and  women. 
There  is  a  certain  bull-dog  expression  in  their  features, 
but  they  are  not  reputed  to  have  much  courage. 

The  French  arm  a  certain  number  of  the  Sultan's 
men  and  supply  them  with  cartridges.  They  profess 
the  Mahommedan  faith  loosely,  although  there  are 
Mallams  who  make   the  journey  to   Mecca. 

The  majority  of  the  older  people  speak  Arabic,  but  the 
younger  generation  have  an  imperfect  knowledge  of  it. 

The  Sultan  made  our  coming  the  occasion  to  ask  Jose 
many  questions  about  the  English ;  he  had  heard  that 
our  King   came   first   in   importance    among   the   white 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST  JOURNEY         25l 

races ;  was  this  so  ?  He  then  said  that  he  heard  that 
the  English  had  all  the  biggest  places  in  Africa ;  from 
the  east,  from  the  north,  and  from  the  west  people 
at  different  times  had  come  through  his  kingdom  and 
told  him  so.  The  French  were  brave  and  had  killed 
Rabeh,  but  the  English  had  taken  away  the  Sultan  of 
Dikoa  (now  Sultan  of  Bornu)  under  the  very  eyes 
of  the  French,  whom  they  told  to  retire  to  the  line  of 
the  Shari,  and  then  afterwards  they  gave  the  country 
to  the  Germans.  This  is  the  native  interpretation  of 
how  the  Germans  came  to  occupy  that  portion  of  Africa 
between  Dikoa  and  Kusseri  and  the  southern  portion  of 
Chad,  or  the  German  Sudan  as  it  is  now  called.  This 
version  was  brought  about,  first  of  all,  by  McCarthy 
Morrough's  entering  Dikoa  and  taking  away  under 
cover  of  night  Sultan  Garuba  and  all  his  belongings  at 
the  time  when  the  French  occupied  the  city ;  *  then 
subsequently  by  the  retirement  of  the  French  to  the 
Shari  in  favour  of  German  occupation,  which  had  been 
previously  agreed  upon  by  the  three  Powers. 

The  Sultan  also  took  a  great  interest  in  my  rifle,  as  he 
had  never  seen  one  with  a  magazine  before.  He  insisted 
on  Jose  going  through  for  his  benefit  the  loading  and 
unloading  movements.  I  made  a  good  photograph  of  this 
scene. 

February  8. — Left  Yao  for  Seita.  The  day  before,  the 
Sultan  promised  to  give  me  a  good  guide,  whose  duty  it 

*  In  "  From  the  Niger  to  the  Nile  "  the  author  relates  how  Captain 
McCarthy  Morrough  by  a  brilliant  coup  de  main  enticed  Garuba, 
whom  the  French  had  made  Sultan  of  Dikoa,  out  of  his  alien  palace 
one  night,  brought  him  over  the  border  to  Maifoni,  and  made  him 
Sultan  of  Bornu.  Garuba,  it  must  be  remembered,  is  the  son  of  a 
former  Sultan  of  Bornu,  and  was  captured  and  made  a  slave  by 
Rabeh,  and  on  the  defeat  of  the  latter  by  the  French  was  freed  by 
them  and  made  Sultan  of  Dikoa. — Ed. 


252  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

would  be  when  on  the  march  to  walk  in  front  of  me  and 
point  with  his  arm  in  the  direction  of  the  road  whenever 
I  required  to  make  an  observation.  He  also  would  have 
to  tell  me  the  names  of  villages,  &c,  we  might  pass  on 
the  road. 

This  morning  our  guide  turned  up.  From  his  looks  he 
might  have  lived  on  the  earth  since  the  days  of  the  Flood. 
However,  in  spite  of  the  disabilities  of  age,  I  gave  him 
credit  for  sense,  knowing  full  well  that  in  the  black  races 
the  power  of  reasoning  is  seldom  to  be  found  in  the 
young,  but  I  was  doomed  to  disappointment.  When  we 
got  outside  the  station  nothing  would  make  him  show  me 
the  direction  of  the  road  ;  he  seemed  mesmerised  by  the 
little  instrument  (prismatic  compass)  I  put  up  to  my 
eyes.  He  turned  out  a  miserable  failure,  and  I  sent 
him  back  from  Seita. 

February  9. — The  Bahr  Batha,  which  falls  into  Fittri, 
passes  close  to  Seita.  It  is  now  nothing  more  than  a 
sandy  bed  about  twenty  yards  in  width.  There  is  thick 
wood  lining  either  bank.  Just  after  crossing  it  Jose  saw 
two  large  antelopes,  but  failed  to  come  up  with  them. 
They  have  the  colour  of  a  donkey.  The  natives  say  they 
are  locally  distributed  wherever  the  wood  is  thick  and 
the  ground  swampy.  The  Arab  name  is  Nyellit.  I 
should  not  wonder  if  it  were  a  new  species.  Later  in  the 
day  Jose  saw  two  herds  of  giraffe. 

I  sent  off  to-day  a  letter  to  the  Commandant  at  Abechir 
offering  my  services  and  those  of  my  expedition  in  their 
present  difficulties.  I  think  that  being  in  their  country, 
and  seeing  that  they  are  collecting  every  available  man  at 
Abechir,  I  could  not  well  do  otherwise. 

February  11. — We  are  now  amongst  the  Middogo 
people.     Their  principal  town  is  el  Birni,  at  the  foot  of  a 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST   JOURNEY  253 

stony  hill  much  the  same  as  that  at  Mwato.  It  is  about  two 
hundred  and  fifty  to  three  hundred  feet  in  height,  a  mass 
of  pale  terra-cotta  boulders,  so  closely  packed  that  the 
steep  sides  of  the  hill  look  as  if  they  were  mosaic  work. 
The  people  get  their  water  from  a  spring  in  the  side  of 
the  hill,  quite  a  hundred  feet  up.  Boys  and  girls 
shouldering  pots  may  be  seen  jumping  from  boulder  to 
boulder,  to  and  from  the  water.  In  appearance  the 
Middogo  closely  resemble  the  Bulala,  but  they  have 
their  own  language.*  The  hair  of  the  younger  men  is 
often  long  and  matted,  giving  a  somewhat  savage  appear- 
ance to  the  face.  The  village  here  (el  Birni)  is  remark- 
able for  its  many  large  earthenware  pots,  five  to  six  feet 


The  Middogo  Hills  as  seen  from  Dulgaia. 

in  height.  They  are  terra  cotta  in  colour,  and  are  very 
graceful  in  shape,  reminding  me  of  Grecian  vases.  They 
are  used  for  grain  stores. 

The  Middogo  are  a  fairly  large  tribe.  Before  the 
French  occupation  of  Abechir  they  used  to  pay  tribute  to 
Wadai  in  cattle,  horses,  and  slaves.  In  the  past  they 
were  often  raided,  and,  judging  by  the  scarcity  of  young 
people  in  the  villages,  they  must  have  suffered  a  good  deal. 
The  women  do  their  hair  either  after  the  Bulala  or 
Wadai  fashion. 

From  el  Birni  a  vast  view  to  the  south  over  a  flat 
country,  covered  with  low  bush  of  nondescript  growth, 
meets    the    eye,  but    this   dull   expanse   is   relieved   by 

;:  They  speak  the  Konga  language — Author. 


254  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

isolated  groups  of  hills  in  the  nearer  distance,  and  still 
further  off,  to  the  south-east,  by  the  blur  of  the  Abou 
Telfane  Range. 

Looking  from  west  to  east  the  hills  are  as  follows : 
Mienyi,  Gia,  Mattiyi,  Azzi. 

The  height  of  el  Birni,  according  to  my  aneroid,  is 
3,200  feet. 

February  12. — Stayed  el  Birni.  Throughout  the  night 
there  was  a  very  strong  wind,  which  did  not  drop  before 
nine  o'clock. 

Have  started  collecting.  I  find  the  little  gun  not  at  all 
useless,  it  kills  well  at  ten  yards.  Close  to  the  hill  and 
about  the  village  I  found  a  Fringillaria,  closely  allied  to 
F.  tahapisi,  but  distinct. 

This  is  the  first  time  I  have  seen  it,  and  I  have  hopes 
it  will  be  new.  The  throat  of  the  male  is  very  hoary.  I 
obtained  three  specimens,  also  a  specimen  of  Pyrrhulauda 
melanauchen,  two  Colius  maerurus.  I  think  I  shall  find 
pretty  well  all  the  Bornu  species  going  right  across  to  the 
Nile.  From  a  geographical  standpoint  there  is  nothing 
to  prevent  this. 

February  13. — Left  el  Birni.  The  old  Sultan  here  is 
a  good  specimen  of  the  old  generation,  but  I  think  he  and 
his  people  have  been  harassed  a  good  deal  in  their  time. 
His  vision  of  ending  his  last  years  in  peace  has  had  a  rude 
shock  in  the  last  disaster  to  the  French,  whom  he  firmly 
believes  will  be  driven  from  Abechir,  so  that  the  old 
regime  will  come  back  again.  Though  old  and  bending 
towards  the  grave,  he  insisted  on  mounting  his  horse, 
and  accompanied  by  his  followers,  escorted  me  from  the 
village.  Outside  he  stopped  and  dismounted,  and  with  a 
concerned  expression  on  his  face,  which  was  pinched  with 
the  keen  air,  he  beckoned  me  and  Jose  to  come  to  him, 


DIARY  OF   HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  255 

out  of  earshot  of  his  followers,  and  with  gravity  asked 
whether  we  were  going  to  Abechir,  and  on  what  side  we 
were  going  to  fight,  on  the  French  or  on  the  Wadaians. 
He  had  always  heard  the  English  were  a  very  strong 
people.  He  shook  his  head  dolefully  and  said  the  French 
would  be  driven  from  Abechir. 

On  the  road  Jose  shot  four  gazelles. 

February  14. — Stayed  Duguma.  This  little  village  is 
close  to  a  tributary  of  the  Bahr  Batha.  On  either  side 
there  is  a  wide  belt  of  trees  and  thick  growth.  Here 
Jose  has  met  again  with  the  roan  antelope  (?).  He  finds 
them  extremely  difficult  to  get  near.  When  once  dis- 
turbed they  are  off  like  an  arrow.  They  never  seem  to 
leave  the  thick  growth  for  the  open  country.  The  natives 
here  say  that  they  are  only  found  along  the  Batha  and 
its  tributaries. 

In  the  evening  the  whole  camp  was  disturbed  by  the 
news  that  Adamu  had  lost  the  camels.  This  makes  the 
fourth  time  since  leaving  Fort  Lamy,  and  I  am  really 
beginning  to  feel  that  I  shall  never  reach  Abechir. 
Though  it  was  late,  two  were  found,  but  still  there  was  the 
prospect  of  a  long  hunt  on  the  morrow  for  the  other  two. 

February  15. — Jose  left  early  with  all  the  men,  the 
Sultan  and  the  village  people.  Within  an  hour  or  two 
one  camel  was  found,  but  the  other,  the  big  one  and  the 
best  of  the  four,  was  still  missing.  However,  Jose 
picked  up  its  spoor,  and  the  direction  of  the  prints 
showed  that  some  one  had  intentionally  driven  it  into 
a  small  Kanuri  village.  Of  course  the  chief  of  the 
village  professed  to  know  nothing.  At  one  time  the 
spoor  zigzagged  backwards  and  forwards,  then  crossed 
and  recrossed,  done,  of  course,  to  confuse  the  pursuers,  and 
quite   contrary   to  how   a  camel  would  march  when  by 


256  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

itself.  At  this  point  the  Sultan  and  his  men  were  for 
giving  up  the  chase,  but  Jose  still  held  on,  and  as  I  have 
related  very  luckily  picked  up  the  spoor,  which  went  this 
time  straight  for  the  village,  again  pointing  to  the  fact 
that  there  was  a  driver  upon  his  back.  Jose  arrived  in 
late  this  afternoon  followed  by  the  wayward  camel.  I 
breathe  again  freely.  This  is  a  land  where  "  pinching  "  is 
brought  to  a  fine  art. 

February  16. — Left  Duguma.  The  road  has  taken  a 
bad  direction  to-day,  an  average  of  130°.  After  fourteen 
miles  we  put  up  at  the  first  Kouka  village,  called  Fitted, 
which  is  under  the  Chief  of  Marlikashi,  where  we  had  our 
mid-day  "chop."  This  makes  two  days  from  el  Birni,  but 
I  am  sure  there  is  a  more  direct  road  from  that  town  to 
here  than  by  going  by  Duguma.  Even  by  the  latter  road 
I  make  the  distance  twenty-four  miles.  This  could  be 
done  in  one  day.  So  from  Seita  here  the  distance  could 
be  made  in  two  and  a  half  days  as  the  French  march. 

February  17. — Reached  Abu  Serafa  in  four  hours.  On 
the  road  I  and  Jose  shot  a  gazelle  each.  This  makes  six- 
teen since  leaving  Fitteri.  Abu  Serafa  is  a  small  Kouka 
town  at  the  foot  of  a  little  chain  of  rocky  hills  that  over- 
look a  flat  and  almost  treeless  expanse.  Their  formation 
is  the  same  as  the  el  Birni  hills.  At  Abu  Serafa  we  had 
our  midday  meal,  and  then  made  for  el  Krenek,  which  we 
reached  after  sunset ;  altogether  a  very  tiring  march,  a 
distance  of  twenty-five  miles. 

The  same  evening  an  interesting  old  Mallam  from 
Abechir  came  in  ;  he  had  done  the  journey  in  eight  days. 
He  was  on  his  way  to  Bornu  with  something  like  sixty 
head  of  oxen,  and  in  their  place  he  was  going  to  bring  back 
horses.  At  his  request  I  gave  him  a  letter  to  Brocklebank 
at  Maifoni.     This  also  gave  me  the  opportunity  of  telling 


DIARY  OF  HIS  LAST  JOURNEY         257 

the  latter  of  the  disappearance  of  Braima,  whom  I  sent 
from  Kusseri  with  photo-plates  and  letters.  My  men  say 
that  he  has  taken  my  money  and  then  thrown  away  the 
letters  and  photos  into  the  bush.  If  this  has  happened, 
and  it  looks  very  much  like  it,  it  is  the  first  time  in  my 
experience  that  I  have  heard  of  white  men's  letters  being 
held  in  such  contempt.  As  a  rule  they  are  looked  upon 
by  the  natives  as  bad  "  juju  "  which  must  not  be  touched. 
It  is  a  great  misfortune  for  me,  as  there  were  something 
like  fifty  photo-plates  and  films  and  two  telegrams  to  be 
sent  from  Maifoni,  one  home  and  the  other  to 
O.M.,  saying  the  probable  date  of  my  return  (March).* 
Braima  is  a  Kanuri.  As  I  have  remarked  before,  these 
people,  I  think,  are  the  most  despicable  under  the  sun. 
They  possess  no  good  trait,  sacrificing  everything  to  their 
greed  of  gain.  It  was  this  which  made  them  fall  into 
the  hands  of  Rabeh,  when  in  the  hour  of  victory  after 
Kiari  had  defeated  his  enemy,  instead  of  setting  a  seal 
upon  their  success,  they  fell  to  and  commenced  looting 
the  baggage,  &c,  of  Rabeh,  who,  taking  advantage  of  their 
demoralisation,  returned  and  defeated  them. 

Before  leaving,  the  old  Mallam  gave  me  some  dates 
from  Abechir.  They  are  excellent,  of  the  eating  of  which 
there  is  no  end !  They  are  most  nourishing  and  I  should 
say  invaluable  for  a  long  desert  journey ;  one  could 
subsist  on  them  for  several  days.  Besides  the  staying 
power  which  they  possess,  they  are  a  first-rate  mild 
medicine. 

February  18. — Stayed  el  Krenek  in  the  hopes  of  getting 
the  Nyellitt,  but  Jose's  repeated  attempts  proved  un- 
successful. The  game  has  all  left  this  part  as  it  is  now 
so  overrun  with  Arabs  and  their  flocks. 

*  These  fears  were  ill-founded ;  the  telegrams,  and,  as  far  as  we 
can  tell,  the  plates  and  films  arrived  safely  in  England. — Ed. 

18 


258  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

February  19. — Left  in  the  afternoon  for  a  village  on  the 
way  to  Birket  Fatrue.  Before  getting  there  Jose  shot 
three  hartebeest  which  are  nothing  like  any  I  have  seen 
before.  They  are  small,  and  the  whole  skin  is  a  pale 
golden  roan  in  colour.  It  may  be  the  East  African  form, 
but  from  what  I  can  remember  the  ones  I  shot  on  my 
last  journey,  near  Gaba  Shambi,  were  different.  One  of 
the  three  has  a  good  head,  with  twenty-one  inch  horn 
measurements.  I  also  shot  a  gazelle  {Rufifrons)  with  nine 
and  a  half  inch  horn  measurements.  This  gazelle  is  well 
distributed  all  over  the  country.  Since  leaving  Fort 
Lamy  we  have  shot  thirty-eight  of  this  species,  two  pigs, 
three  hartebeest,  and  one  giraffe. 

The  name  of  this  town  is  Bedina  and  is  Kouka.  A 
good  deal  of  weaving  is  done  here.  They  are  a  good  lot 
of  people,  and  the  old  white-bearded  Sultan  on  our  arrival 
ran  about  like  a  three-year-old,  giving  orders  to  his  men, 
some  to  fetch  wood,  others  water,  &c.  The  river,  which 
is  about  one  and  a  half  miles  from  here,  is  something  like 
two  hundred  yards  in  width.  It  is  now  nothing  more 
than  a  sandy  bed,  except  that  in  places  there  are  deep 
pools  of  water,  still  frequented  by  crocodiles.  Though  an 
excellent  resort  for  the  large  antelope,  Jose  has  failed  to 
find  it  here.    Just  now  there  are  too  many  Shuas  about. 

February  20. — Stayed  Bedina. 

February  21. — Left  for  Birket  Fatme,  which  we 
reached  in  four  and  a  half  hours.  This  is,  or  rather  was, 
a  small  French  post,  and  is  close  to  the  Bahr  Batha, 
which  is  here  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  in  width.  I 
should  say  that  in  the  rains  this  river  would  be  quite 
navigable  right  up  to  Lake  Fittri. 

We  are  still  in  the  land  of  the  thorn,  but  in  places  these 
trees  recede,  forming  with  their  red  stems  and  branches  a 


DIARY  OF  HIS  LAST  JOURNEY         259 

russet  band  in  the  background.  Then  the  road  passes 
through  a  shabby  growth  that  has  failed  to  flourish  in 
this  arid  country,  stunted  trees,  almost  leafless,  others 
half  decayed,  and  a  prey  to  the  ravages  of  ants.  The 
limbs  of  many  of  the  trees  have  fallen  and  lie  bleached  to 
the  colour  of  dead  bones  by  many  suns,  and  in  between 
these  living  wrecks  there  springs  a  sparse  bush  growth. 

As  one  journeys  on,  the  eyes  tire  of  this  scene  of 
desolation  and  seek  the  ground,  observing  every  blade  of 
fallen  grass,  till  after  a  time  the  thorn-trees  creep  in 
again,  startling  the  eye  with  their  red  branches  filigreed 
with  tender  green,  showing  such  vitality  that  one  is 
convinced  that  they  are  the  true  inheritors  of  the  soil. 
At  rare  intervals  the  ground  here  and  there  forms 
depressions  that  become  shallow  sheets  of  water  in  the 
rains.  In  these  places  there  are  groves  of  sturdy  trees 
with  black  limbs  and  branches  full  of  vigour  and  leaf. 
But  beyond  these  girdles  of  green  everything  with  the 
exception  of  the  mimosa  seems  to  wear  badly,  and  to 
faint  under  the  heat  of  the  pitiless  sun. 

Towards  evening  Jose  went  across  the  river  and  brought 
in  two  hartebeest.  Birket  Fatme  is  not  a  large  town, 
but  I  suppose  it  owes  its  prominence  on  the  map  to  the 
fact  that  a  post  is  near  it.  To  the  south-east  a  group  of 
hills,  about  two  hundred  feet  in  height  and  of  the  same 
character  as  Abu  Serafa,  dominate  a  flat,  bush-covered 
expanse. 

They  are  known  as  the  Messmeje  hills,  and  are 
inhabited  by  a  tribe  of  the  same  name. 

February  22. — Birel,  ten  and  a  half  miles,  a  small  Mess- 
meje village.  This  tribe  is  not  a  large  one,  and  on  first 
thoughts  it  is  rather  puzzling  to  assign  a  reason  for  the 
people  being  wedged  in,  so  to  speak,  between  the  Bulala 
and    Kouka.     They   inhabit    quite    a    small    stretch    of 


260  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

country,  but  it  is  pretty  well  populated.  It  is  bounded  on 
the  west  by  Birket  Fatroe,  the  south  by  the  Messmeje 
hills,  the  north  by  the  Bahr  Batha,  and  as  far  as  Am 
Haggar  on  the  east,  and  from  west  to  east  a  three  days' 
journey  will  traverse  their  country.  I  had  an  interesting 
talk  with  an  old  Messmeje  chief  as  regards  their  origin. 
He  told  me  that  they  were  formerly  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  the  Bahr  Salamat,  until  they  were  driven  up  here  by 
the  Arab  razzias.  Altogether  they  have  had  a  stormy 
time,  for  no  sooner  were  they  free  from  the  Arabs  than 
they  were  exposed  to  the  raids  of  the  Abechir  Sultan.* 
They  lived  on  tenterhooks  and  never  knew  safety,  for  the 
Sultan's  men  would  swoop  down  suddenly  upon  them  and 
carry  off  their  young  people  and  flocks.  At  the  present 
time  the  effects  of  this  persecution  are  very  plain  to  see 
in  the  scarcity  of  boys  and  girls,  while  their  flocks  have 
dwindled  down  to  almost  nothing.  The  nearer  one  gets  to 
Abechir  this  becomes  more  and  more  evident.  But  now  the 
old  order  has  changed  and  their  feeling  of  relief  must  be 
great.  The  French  have  been  in  occupation  of  this 
country  for  a  year  now.  These  people  have  a  good 
disposition,  especially  the  women,  who  are  light-hearted 
and  have  a  delightfully  easy  manner  with  one.  They  have 
neat  faces,  with  rather  retrousse  noses,  into  the  right 
nostril  of  which  bits  of  wood  and  imitation  coral  from 
Bornu  are  as  a  rule  inserted.  The  hair  is  made  into 
small  twists,  which  hang  down  like  a  long  fringe  or  curtain 
all  round  the  head.  The  Messmeje,  though  possessing 
a  different  language,  marry  with  the  Kouka  and  Bulala. 

Kiari  went  sick  on  the  road  to-day.  I  am  afraid  he 
intends  to  retire  from  these  scenes  of  his  labours.  I 
shall  miss  his  time-worn  face. 

While  at  Birket  Fatme  a  caravan  of  Kanuri  arrived. 
*  Mahmud  Mourra,  who  succeeded  Ahmud. — Author. 


DIARY  OF   HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  261 

They  had  come  from  Maidugari.  With  them  was 
Brocklebank's  headman,  who  is  going  to  buy  camels  at 
Abechir  for  the  Government.  These  Kanuri  have  a  large 
store  of  goods  with  them,  which  they  hope  to  sell  in 
Abechir  at  a  great  profit ;  some  twenty  horses,  a  large 
number  of  Bornu  gowns  and  also  kola  nut.  The 
country  people  rather  welcome  a  caravan  of  this  kind 
passing  through  their  town,  as  it  gives  them  a  chance 
of  buying  small  needs  with  the  food  they  give  to  the 
travellers;  in  this  particular  instance  beads,  salt,  and  "gab- 
biga  "  (strips  of  cloth),  peppers,  and  pieces  of  imitation 
coral  as  nose  ornaments.  As  soon  as  the  caravan  takes 
up  its  quarters  for  the  night,  generally  under  some  large 
tree  outside  the  town,  the  women  come  out  with  baskets 
of  unground  corn,  and  each  traveller  buys  what  he 
requires,  the  seller  going  back  and  preparing  it  for  him. 

February  23. — A  long  march  of  about  twenty  miles. 
Kiari  collapsed  on  the  road,  and  I  had  to  leave  him  at 
a  village  on  the  way. 

In  the  evening  an  elephant-hunter  came  in  from 
Abechir.  One  has  to  hold  a  permit  to  shoot  elephants, 
but  no  tax  is  levied. 

February  24. — Passed  a  number  of  villages  on  the 
road  to-day,  all  Messmeje,  including  Durban,  where 
we  stayed  for  the  night. 

February  25. — A  march  of  two  hours  brought  us  to  Am 
Haggar,  an  old  deserted  French  post,  and  the  last  before 
getting  to  Abechir.  The  Bahr  Batha  is  close  by  and  is 
a  good  150  yards  in  width.  The  country  is  now  very 
open  with  low  scrub. 

Soon  after  we  arrived,  a  headman,  Batha  Marjam, 
Sultan  of  the  Massalit  people,  with  twenty  horsemen, 
came  in  from  Abechir.     He  had  orders  from  the  Com- 


262  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

mandant  Julien  to  meet  me  and  to  give  me  every 
facility  on  the  road.  So  my  letter  has  borne  fruit  and 
apparently  my  services  have  been  accepted. 

We  had  a  haul  of  fishes  this  afternoon.  The  river 
now  is  nothing  more  than  a  sandy  bed,  except  here  and 
there  close  to  the  banks  there  are  deep  pools,  full  of 
fish.  Quite  an  army  of  boys  and  men  several  rows 
deep  were  "  driving  "  one  of  the  pools.  The  greater 
number  had  each  a  large  piece  of  wood,  about  two  feet 
long  and  cut  in  the  shape  of  a  sabre,  at  the  end  of  which 
was  a  large  hook  with  a  socket,  and  into  this  the  point 
of  the  stick  was  fitted.  Attached  to  the  socket  was  a 
line.  With  these  weapons  the  men  as  they  advanced 
swept  the  bottom  of  the  pool  to  and  fro  with  one 
hand,  much  after  the  action  of  reapers  with  scythes, 
while  with  the  other  they  held  the  lines.  The  com- 
motion caused  by  the  men  walking  through  the  water 
sent  the  fish  flying  and  jumping  in  all  directions,  and 
coming  within  the  zone  of  the  hooks  many  were  struck 
and  then  hauled  out  of  the  water  by  the  lines,  the 
hooks  having  detached  themselves  from  the  sticks,  which 
were  then  left  free  for  the  men  to  use  as  weapons  to  kill 
the  fish  with.  The  whole  thing  struck  one  as  being  very 
skilful.  Besides  those  who  fished  in  this  manner  there 
were  others  carrying  wicker  baskets,  round  and  with 
a  hole  in  the  bottom.  These  they  plumped  upside 
down  in  places  where  the  water  was  shallow,  as  one 
does  when  chasing  a  wounded  bird  with  one's  cap. 
If  a  fish  was  caught  the  arm  was  put  through  the  hole 
in  the  basket  and  the  fish  hauled  out. 

The  people  we  have  been  amongst  of  late,  the  Kouka, 
Messmeje,  and  Massalit,  are  without  weapons,  not  even 
a  spear,  which  is  rather  a  rare  condition  of  things  to 
find  in  Africa.     They  have  been  disarmed  by  the  French, 


DIARY  OF  HIS  LAST  JOURNEY         263 

which  does  not  speak  in  favour  of  their  character. 
The  only  weapon  they  have  now  is  a  piece  of  wood 
three  feet  long  and  cut  after  the  shape  of  a  sabre,  a 
form  which  enables  them  to  deal  cuts  at  their  adversary's 
neck. 

After  leaving  Am  Haggar  we  struck  the  river  again  at 
midday,  where  we  rested  before  resuming  the  march. 

The  river  here  was  quite  two  hundred  yards  wide,  and 
there  was  a  good  deal  of  thick  wood  on  both  banks. 
The  Massalit  Sultan  tells  me  that  when  the  rains  are 
at  their  height  it  overflows  its  banks  to  some  distance, 
but  then  the  banks  are  very  low  and  the  gradient  of  the 
bed  is  hardly  perceptible. 

The  bed  is  nothing  but  sand,  which  gives  one  the 
impression  that  this  river  is  going  to  be  swallowed  up, 
the  same  way  as  the  Bahr  el  Ghazal  that  used  to  flow 
into  Lake  Chad. 

For  three  months  in  the  year  the  river  would  be  navig- 
able for  small  launches  from  Fittri  right  up  to  Abechir, 
and  there  are  no  rocks. 

The  country  has  now  lost  the  character  of  the  mimosa 
forest ;  it  is  more  open,  with  sparse  trees  and  bush,  all 
leafless.  After  ascending  a  gradual  rise,  a  vast  expanse 
of  low  tree-growth  as  often  as  not  meets  the  eye,  extend- 
ing as  far  as  the  horizon,  in  tone  a  pale  grey,  the  colour 
that  a  distant  mass  of  bare  branches  always  gives,  except 
in  places  where  belts  of  the  thorn-tree  make  russet 
streaks,  and  here  and  there  in  the  distance  big  trees  of 
stout  growth  and  brave  with  leaf  show  out  in  splotches  of 
dark  green,  a  welcome  sight  to  the  tired,  sand-laden  eyes. 

For  the  last  three  or  four  days  an  old  Hausa,  on  his 
way  to  Abechir,  has  been  travelling  with  us.  He  has 
come  from  Kano  with  two  loads  of  kola  carried  by  a 
small  donkey. 


26*  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

He  is  a  tough  old  man,  and  his  sixty  years  seem  to  sit 
lightly  upon  his  shoulders,  though  his  legs  are  much 
spindled  by  age  and  trekking.  All  the  same,  he  drives  his 
donkey  along  manfully,  making  his  twenty  miles  a 
day.  With  him  is  his  wife  and  one  daughter,  a  charm- 
ing creature.  The  donkey  is  without  doubt  the  right 
beast  of  burden  for  the  travelling  trader  of  slender  means, 
such  as  many  of  these  Hausas  are.  The  present  instance 
is  a  good  example.  The  old  man  has  for  an  outlay  of 
13s.  (the  price  of  his  donkey  at  Kano)  carried  his  two 
loads  to  Abechir  from  Kano,  a  distance  as  the  crow  flies 
of  eight  hundred  miles.  His  article  of  trade  is  kola. 
In  Bornu  the  price  for  twenty-five  big  nuts  is  one  dollar, 
or  2s.  6d. ;  and  fifty  small  ones  can  be  bought  for  the 
same  price,  and  3s.  is  given  for  a  hundred  in  Kano.  I  do 
not  yet  know  what  they  sell  for  at  Abechir,  but  I 
should  fancy  the  old  man  would  make  a  profit  double 
the  original  cost. 

February  28. — Going  along  the  road  to-day,  an  old 
Mallam,  much  bent,  shuffled  past  me,  a  worn  figure  that 
one  would  pick  out  at  once  from  other  wayfarers.  White 
hairs  of  sparse  growth  bearded  his  face,  and  his  eyes  were 
dim.  Through  age  his  toga,  of  native  cloth,  was  the 
colour  of  hemp  and  full  of  holes  as  if  moths  had  fretted  it 
for  years.  His  only  weapons  of  defence  were  two 
wooden  staves ;  one  of  these  he  carried  over  his  shoulder, 
and  from  it  were  hung  two  grass- woven  baskets  contain- 
ing all  his  worldly  belongings.  Over  his  other  shoulder 
was  slung  a  wooden  board  written  all  over  with  texts 
from  the  Koran,  and  much  polished  with  hand-grease. 
Bound  his  right  wrist  was  wound  his  string  of  praying- 
beads.  Altogether  a  figure  of  holy  but  not  pinched 
poverty. 

I    have   met  with    these    travelling   Mallams   before. 


DIARY  OF  HIS  LAST  JOURNEY         265 

They  are,  so  to  speak,  the  missionaries  of  the  Mahom- 
medan  faith,  and  go  from  one  village  to  another  to  teach 
the  young  children,  and  in  return  for  their  holy  labours 
they  are  given  food  and  lodging. 

Yesterday  Jose  shot  a  Senegal  hartebeest.  It  is  rather 
surprising  to  find  this  species  and  the  other  one,  of 
which  I  have  already  spoken,  almost  together.  The 
latter,  I  think,  is  worth  getting.  Since  leaving  Birket 
Fatme  the  game-bag  has  been  one  hartebeest  and  six 
gazelle. 

At  Am  Haggar  the  Messmeje  people  came  to  an 
end,  and  we  entered  the  country  of  the  Massalit, 
another  small  tribe.  Then  up  to  the  Kachemere  hills 
we  passed  villages  belonging  to  the  Apsari,  Dadjo,  and 
Bakka,  all  separate  tribes,  or  rather  bits  of  tribes, 
jumbled  together  and  living  side  by  side.  Though  they 
speak  different  dialects,  they  all  have  the  Arab  tongue 
in  common.  This  conglomeration  of  people  is  confusing, 
and  in  most  cases  it  is  well-nigh  impossible  to  find  out 
where  they  originally  came  from,  for  they  show  a  pro- 
found ignorance  about  their  origin.  Among  the  Mess- 
meje, Apsari,  Dadjo,  and  Bakka  I  can  find  no  separate 
characteristic  to  make  them  distinct.  They  all  dis- 
tinctly possess  the  negroid  type  of  face,  large  heads 
with  prominent  foreheads,  broad  noses  with  splayed 
nostrils,  and  fairly  thick  lips.  In  my  own  mind  I  have 
no  doubt  that  they  have  been  pushed  up  to  these 
parts  from  the  regions  of  the  Salamat  by  the  Arabs. 
It  is  quite  possible  even  that  their  ancestors  were  the 
slaves  of  the  Arabs,  who  gradually  freed  themselves 
and  worked  to  the  north  (where  they  are  now)  and  set 
up  communities  of  their  own,  the  people  of  each  being 
known  by  the  name  of  the  founder — for  example, 
Dadjo    or  Bakka,   or   a    man    belonging    to    Dadjo    or 


266  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

Bakka — and  in  time  from  small  communities  these 
different  peoples  have  grown  to  the  proportions  of 
tribes. 

Their  villages  are  small  and  compact ;  each  hut  is  in 
a  compound  made  of  zana  matting,  and  under  these 
circumstances  one  does  not  see  much  of  the  women, 
who  sit  within  the  compounds  as  they  spin  their 
cotton.  All  round  the  village  at  close  intervals  are 
rough  trestles,  and  upon  them  round  bins  of  zana 
matting,  in  which  is  kept  the  "  gero  "  in  heads  during 
the  dry  season,  but  by  the  time  the  rains  come  on  it 
is  thrashed  into  grain  and  stored  in  gigantic  mud  jars, 
some  of  which  are  five  or  six  feet  in  height,  and  really 
very  graceful  in  form,  and  all  made  by  the  women. 

March  1. — Jose  left  in  front  of  me  so  as  to  get  into 
Abechir  before  me  and  find  quarters.  We  are  now 
close  to  the  Kachemere  range,  or  rather  group  of  small 
hills,  which  run  in  a  south  to  east  direction,  and  lie 
about  one  and  a  half  miles  to  the  right  of  the  road. 
The  highest  peak  would  not  be  more  than  three  hundred 
feet.  The  hills  are  of  stone  of  a  predominant  reddish 
hue  and  bare  but  for  a  little  grass  and  scattered  stunted 
trees.  In  formation  they  are  small,  isolated  hills,  or 
groups  which  at  some  points  from  a  distance  have  the 
appearance  of  being  one  continuous  range,  but  as  one 
moves  along  their  forms  rapidly  alter  and  get  discon- 
nected, which  makes  mapping  them  on  a  road  sketch 
no  easy  task. 

Almost  running  parallel  to  these  hills  is  the  Kondongo 
range,  which  lies  on  the  left  of  the  road  and  at  some 
distance  from  it.  They  have  much  the  same  form  and 
character  as  the  Kachemere. 

From  these  ranges  onward  to  Abechir  the  country  is 


VS* 


A    TRAVELLING    M.AI  I.AM,    MET   ON    THE    KOAD 

TO  Abechir. 


a  view  of  Abechir. 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  267 

thickly  populated  with  Wadai;  there  are  many  large 
and  compact  towns. 

An  incident  occurred  to-day  which  demonstrated 
well  the  character  of  the  Wadai  people.  I  have  not 
yet  observed  any  good  point  about  them ;  they  are 
treacherous,  quarrelsome,  and  sulky.  A  guide,  whom 
I  had  taken  from  a  village  on  the  road,  while  I  was 
observing  angles  to  some  hill  peaks,  went  off  the  road 
into  the  bush,  as  I  thought  on  account  of  some 
necessity.  As  he  did  not  return  after  several  minutes 
a  Massalit  man,  belonging  to  the  Sultan  who  had  come 
to  meet  me,  who  was  with  me  as  well  as  my  own 
orderly,  Mamadu,  went  back  to  call  the  guide.  He 
found  him  crouching  behind  a  small  bush,  and  the 
next  moment  the  Massalit  man  came  running  back  to 
me  with  a  terrible  knife  wound  in  his  left  arm;  the 
whole  of  the  biceps  muscles  were  rent  and  were 
hanging  out. 

The  Wadai  are  famous,  or  rather  infamous,  for  the 
use  of  the  knife,  which  they  carry  strapped  to  the  left 
arm. 

To  have  a  murderous  assault  like  this  committed 
almost  under  one's  eyes  is  astounding,  and  only  shows 
what  the  real  attitude  is  of  the  Wadai  towards  the 
white  man.  As  far  as  possible  the  French  have  dis- 
armed every  man,  and  Abechir  now  is  practically 
knifeless. 

As  soon  as  I  reached  the  village  where  my  men  had 
stayed  to  await  me,  about  an  hour  ahead,  I  attended 
to  the  injured  man  and  sewed  up  his  wound.  Then 
I  returned  with  several  of  my  men  and  those  of  the 
Massalit  Sultan  to  the  village  from  which  I  had  taken 
the  murderous  guide,  with  the  object  of  capturing  him 
or,   failing  him,   the  chief  of   the  village.     Of  course, 


268  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

when  I  got  there,  the  man  was  not  to  be  found,  so 
I  took  the  chief  and  brought  him  with  me  to  the 
village  where  I  was  going  to  stay  for  the  night.  This 
action  had  the  desired  effect,  for  the  culprit  was  brought 
in  during  the  night.  This  is  the  only  course  to  pursue 
in  a  case  of  this  kind ;  take  the  chief,  and  invariably 
the  men  of  the  village  will  give  up  the  culprit  in  order 
to  free  their  chief. 

We  have  said  goodbye  to  every  stick  of  wood  and 
are  now  travelling  over  very  open  country,  with  low, 
weedy  growth,  and  here  and  there  a  Euphorbia  plant, 
while  the  vicinity  of  villages  is  marked  by  irregular, 
burnt,  straw-coloured  patches  of  the  standing  grain- 
stalks,  from  which  the  heads  have  been  cropped. 
Everywhere  the  Karangia  grass  grows  rampant,  a 
hateful  weed  with  prickly  seeds  that  are  a  pest  to  the 
feet.  The  head  is  something  like  a  pipe-cleaner  to 
look  at.  When  ripe,  the  row  of  seeds,  each  a  spiky 
ball,  detaches  itself  and  falls  to  the  ground,  where  it 
becomes  a  sore  trouble  to  the  feet  of  man  and  beast. 
To  take  a  dog  with  one  on  trek  is  to  inflict  much  pain 
and  grief.  The  spikes  of  the  seed  get  between  the 
pads,  and  if  not  extracted  often  cause  inflammation. 
Bornu  is  also  full  of  it.  When  I  was  at  Maifoni  in 
1904,  I  was  told  that  the  prison,  then  a  mud-built 
structure,  had  the  foundations  of  its  walls  trenched 
round,  and  the  trenches  filled  with  Karangia,  which 
proved  most  effective  against  any  attempts  at  escape 
prisoners  might  make  by  burrowing  under  the  walls 
from  the  inside. 

March  2. — A  long  march  of  twenty-three  miles  brought 
us  after  sunset  into  a  large  village  (Argoutie),  which 
is  about  three  hours  from  Abechir.  Soon  after  our 
arrival,  Jose  came  in  from  Abechir.     He  had  got  there 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST  JOURNEY         269 

yesterday  evening,  a  march  of  something  like  forty-four 
miles  in  the  day — not  a  bad  performance !  He  found 
that  the  Sultan  had  already  prepared  quarters  for  us 
near  the  palace.  He  brought  with  him  a  gazelle  that 
he  had  shot  on  the  way  out.  This  makes  a  total  of 
forty-five  altogether  since  leaving  Fort  Lamy. 

March  3. — The  last  day  of  the  long  trek  from  Fort 
Lamy.  Soon  our  eyes  will  rest  upon  the  longed-for 
sight  of  Abechir,  and  the  last  phase  but  one  of  the 
expedition  will  be  finished !  Two  of  my  men,  Dogo 
and  Alan-na-Gudu,  for  weeks  past  have  had  their 
heads  shaved,  with  the  exception  of  a  patch  at  the 
back  and  a  narrow  band  across  the  crown  from  ear  to 
ear.  The  latter  represents  Abechir  and  the  former 
Omdurman,  and  as  each  place  is  reached  the  patch  or 
strip  of  hair  will  be  shaved  off,  with  much  the  same 
idea  as  when  we  used  as  boys  at  school  to  tick  off  the 
weary  days  of  the  term. 

About  five  miles  from  Abechir  one  becomes  aware 
that  the  plain  directly  to  the  front  is  gradually  rising 
to  a  low  ridge,  not  more  than  1,500  yards  long.  It  has 
crept  out  of  the  plain  from  one's  left  front  and  ter- 
minates on  the  right  in  a  cone-shaped  kopje  which  is 
about  one  hundred  feet  in  height. 

A  hope  springs  up  that  Abechir  will  be  seen  lying 
in  the  plain  on  the  other  side,  but  on  gaining  this  little 
ridge  there  is  nothing  to  be  seen  except  the  ground 
gradually  shelving,  to  rise  again  gently  to  another  ridge 
that  is  similar  to  the  first,  but  lower  if  anything,  and 
at  a  distance  of  about  three  miles.  The  approach  of 
any  one  from  this  quarter  can  be  signalled  from  this 
ridge  to  Abechir,  which  lies  another  two  miles  to  the 
front. 

The  first  sight  of  Abechir,  so  renowned  in  geographical 


270  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

history,  is  very  disappointing ;  perhaps  because  one 
has  been  led  to  expect  so  much.  The  eyes  search 
almost  in  vain  for  some  definite  outline  to  compass 
the  extent  of  the  town.  The  sandy  colouring  of  the 
mud  houses  and  walls,  toning  in  so  completely  with 
the  surroundings  of  the  town,  is  probably  the  reason 
why  it  is  so  inconspicuous.  The  only  building  that 
stands  out  distinctly  enough  to  attract  the  eye  is  the 
palace,  a  substantial  building  of  brick,  dark  in  tone, 
and  reminding  one  in  shape  and  size,  but  without  the 
battlemented  roof,  of  the  Tower  of  London. 

Half  a  mile  from  the  town  one  of  the  Sultan's  chiefs 
met  me  with  a  number  of  horse  and  escorted  me  to 
my  quarters  near  the  palace.  I  then  went  straight  up 
to  the  barracks,  which  lie  a  little  way  off  and  to  the 
east  of  the  town,  the  fort  itself  being  well  placed  on 
a  low  eminence  of  rock. 

The  Commandant,  Julien,  a  man  of  stout  proportions 
and  of  a  rough  manner,  made  anything  but  a  favourable 
impression  upon  me.  The  offer  I  had  made  of  putting 
myself  and  my  expedition  at  his  disposal  to  assist  the 
French  in  their  present  difficulties  was  dismissed  in  a  few 
curt  words,  and  not  a  word  of  thanks  !  He  then  went  on 
to  say  he  could  not  take  the  responsibility  of  allowing  me 
to  pass  by  the  road  to  el  Fachir,  although  Colonel  Moll 
in  a  communication  had  given  me  permission  to  do  so. 
It  is  true  that  the  Massalit  affair  had  not  taken  place  at 
the  time  of  his  writing  it,  but  the  Mourrah  road,  which 
goes  almost  due  east  from  here,  is  practically  safe.  I 
think  he  looks  upon  me  as  a  secret  agent,  much  the  same 
as  Colonel  Pulteney  was  considered  when  he  followed  at 
the  heels  of  Marchand,  with  whom  Julien  served,  and  I 
expect  those  experiences  have  embittered  him  against  the 
English.     Anyway  I  have  run  up  against  the  wrong  man. 


■■■' 


'- 


DIARY   OF  HIS  LAST  JOURNEY         271 

The  French  have  not  a  leg  to  stand  upon  as  regards 
the  Massalit  affair.  They  were  attacking  a  Darfur 
chief  who  was  under  Ali  Dinar.  Julien  excused  it  by 
saying  that  Captain  Fiegenschuh  went  into  that  country 
without  orders.  My  arrival  here  is  anything  but  pleasant 
to  the  French,  who,  I  firmly  believe,  were  making 
preparations  for  a  punitive  expedition ;  in  fact,  there  is 
hardly  any  doubt  about  it,  but  my  presence  here  has 
knocked  everything  on  the  head. 

The  Sultan  has  had  orders  to  return  the  camels  which 
the  French  had  collected  for  their  transport  to  the 
various  villages  in  the  neighbourhood. 

The  history  of  the  whole  affair  is  as  follows  : — 

Before  Captain  Fiegenschuh,  who  was  commanding 
the  French  force,  had  got  into  Abechir,  the  big  men  of 
the  town  sent  out  to  him  assurances  that  they  would  not 
oppose  his  entry,  adding  also  that  the  Massalit  king  was 
ready  to  come  under  the  new  Sultan  Assil,  whom 
Fiegenschuh  was  bringing  up  with  him.  Here  I  must 
explain  that  Assil  is  the  half-brother  of  Doude  Mourrah, 
with  whom  he  had  quarrelled  in  1903.  Leaving  Abechir 
with  the  object  of  seeking  a  refuge  in  Bornu,  he  was 
captured  on  his  way  down,  near  Bukero,  by  the  French, 
who  made  him  a  prisoner  and  exiled  him  to  Brazzaville. 
In  1905  I  met  him  near  Fort  Crample ;  he  was  then  on 
his  way  to  Fort  Lamy,  the  French  having  the  idea  of 
keeping  him  at  hand  as  they  intended  to  make  him 
Sultan  as  soon  as  they  had  taken  Abechir. 

After  the  occupation  of  Abechir  by  the  French, 
Commandant  Brisset  was  in  command,  but  he  left  in 
December  and  his  place  was  taken  by  Fiegenschuh,  who, 
it  seems,  left  Abechir  shortly  after  to  visit  the  Massalit 
Sultan,  Hadjar  Din,  with  the  idea  of  pilfering  his  allegiance 
from  the  Sultan  of  Darfur.     He  took  with  him  a  strong 


272  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

force  of  2  lieutenants,  2  sergeants,  with  150  soldiers,  and 
200  irregulars  armed  with  rifles  from  the  Sultan  Assil.  On 
approaching  the  Massalit  town  he  found  that  the  Sultan 
had  already  made  quarters  for  him  and  his  men  near  the 
road  outside  the  town.  Deceived  by  this  show  of  friend- 
ship, he  remained  in  them  and  sent  forward  his  in- 
terpreter to  tell  the  king  to  come  and  see  him,  but  the 
king  refused,  saying  that  it  would  be  better  if  Fiegens- 
chuh  were  to  come  in,  and  he  assured  him  of  his  friend- 
ship. Accordingly  Fiegenschuh  left,  but  before  he 
reached  the  town  his  force  was  surrounded  by  men  who 
came  rushing  in  from  either  side,  yelling  and  brandishing 
their  spears.  Thinking  their  behaviour  only  a  form  of 
welcome,  he  shouted  back  to  his  men  not  to  take  up  their 
arms,  and  he  then  proceeded  on  his  way  to  the  king, 
whose  men  surrounded  and  killed  him.  At  the  same 
time  the  whole  of  his  force  was  massacred,  with  the 
exception  of  nine  of  the  Sultan's  men  and  twelve  soldiers, 
who  succeeded  in  escaping  back  to  Abechir. 

I  have  heard  since  that  some  of  the  soldiers  are 
prisoners  and  are  tied  up.  There  are  plenty  of  widows 
about ;  many  have  come  to  the  place  where  we  are 
living,  and  all  want  to  marry  my  "  boys." 

The  Massalit  Sultan  is  a  powerful  king,  and  though 
himself  a  Mahommedan,  many  of  his  people  are  not, 
and  they  are  reputed  to  be  cannibals.     They  are  black. 

The  Sultan,  Assil,  tells  me  that  the  Massalit  king 
wants  neither  to  be  under  el  Fachir  nor  Abechir.  At 
the  present  moment  (March  7th)  Assil  has  a  number  of 
his  men  on  the  border. 

The  occupation  of  Abechir  was  carried  out  with  hardly 
any  bloodshed.  The  fight  at  the  small  stream,  Wady 
Choc,  which  is  distant  a  day  from  the  town,  was  a  small 
affair,  the  Sultan's  men,  although  he  was  there  in  person, 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  273 

making  a  small  stand.  The  greater  number  of  "  big 
men  "  refused  to  fight,  and  sent  messages  to  this  effect  to 
the  French,  saying  that  they  wanted  Assil  as  their  Sultan, 
since  Doude  Mourrah  had  treated  them  badly.  From 
Wady  Choc  the  Sultan  retired  to  Abechir,  got  his  things 
together,  and  made  ready  for  flight,  although  the  next 
morning  he  made  a  show  of  resistance  at  the  first  ridge, 
two  miles  from  the  town.  But  he  soon  cleared  off,  and 
when  the  French  entered  Abechir  they  found  it  deserted. 
The  large  number  of  killed  and  wounded  given  to  me  at 
Fort  Lamy  (official)  is  entirely  erroneous.  The  Sultan 
fled  to  the  north.  As  Abechir  lies  in  an  open  plain,  it 
seems  extraordinary  why  the  French  allowed  him  to  get 
away.  The  whole  town  was  given  over  to  loot  by  the 
soldiers.  The  traders — Tripoli  merchants — bitterly  com- 
plain of  the  way  in  which  they  were  treated.  They 
stayed  in  the  town,  thinking  that  they  would  be  safe,  but 
all  their  things  were  taken  from  them,  and  in  many  cases 
they  were  tied  up  by  the  soldiers.  The  soldiers  ransacked 
the  Sultan's  houses  of  everything,  and  all  the  documents 
relating  to  the  history  of  the  town  were  destroyed. 
There  were  many  valuable  records,  several  relating  to 
Nachtigal  and  Vogel,  and  one  in  the  former's  hand- 
writing. In  my  eyes  nothing  can  excuse  this  vandalism. 
Apparently  everything  except  the  dollars  were  treated 
with  indifference. 

At  the  present  time  there  is  no  money  in  Abechir. 
The  Kanuri  caravan  which  we  met  at  Fittri  can  sell 
nothing,  and  the  old  man  with  the  kola  is  hanging  on  in 
the  hope  of  better  days. 

Abechir  wanted  the  English ;  in  fact,  they  were  ready 
to  pay  a  tribute  to  our  Government,  and  at  the  time  of 
the  arrival  of  the  French  were,  I  am  told,  in  communica- 
tion with  Ali  Dinar.      It  is  wonderful  to  see  how  the 

19 


274  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

English  name  is  respected  here.  In  their  simple  minds 
the  people  still  cling  to  the  hope  that  the  English  will 
take  the  country.  The  fact  that  Nachtigal  left  papers 
here  written  in  English  makes  them  think  that  we  have 
the  first  claim  to  the  country.  It  is  possible,  too,  that 
Nachtigal  posed  as  an  Englishman,  else  how  could  the 
natives  have  got  hold  of  this  fact  ?  I  have  mapped  the 
road  up  to  this  place,  and  this  they  say  is  preparatory  to 
our  coming  here  !  I  am  treated  with  the  greatest  defer- 
ence. Every  morning  people  who  have  been  to  Khartoum 
and  know  our  rule  come  and  pay  their  respects  to  me. 
If  it  had  not  been  for  the  bad  character  of  Mahmoudu 
Mourrah  and  the  oppression  he  put  upon  his  people,  which 
caused  them  to  fall  away  in  their  allegiance,  the  French 
would  not  have  had  such  an  easy  entrance  into 
Abechir. 

The  Wadai  people  are  notorious  for  their  drinking 
habits.  Their  drink  is  a  beer  made  from  the  "  gero  "  and 
"  dawa  "  (Hausa,  "  Gear").  It  takes  two  days  to  brew,  and 
has  the  colour  of  tea.  When  bottled  it  effervesces  to  a 
certain  extent.  I  occasionally  drink  it  when  I  know 
where  it  is  made.  The  "  big  men "  make  a  better 
quality,  flavouring  it  with  dates  and  pepper ;  the  latter, 
they  believe,  makes  it  less  intoxicating.  There  are  many 
drinking  dens  in  the  town.  The  drinkers  sit  in  a  circle, 
and  one  man  presides  over  the  large  jar  which  contains 
the  beer,  and  passes  round  a  small  calabash  to  each  in 
turn.  This  quaffing  goes  on  without  intermission  for 
hours  together,  and  it  often  happens  that  quarrels  ensue 
and  knives  are  freely  used.  In  Mourrah's  reign  Abechir 
was  a  very  drunken  city,  and  every  excess  was  perpetrated, 
the  drinking  bouts  of  the  "  big  men  "  frequently  ending 
in  wanton  slaughter.  As  like  as  not,  a  passer-by  in  the 
street  would  be  caught  and  plied  with  beer  to  amuse  the 


DIARY  OF  HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  275 

company,  and  afterwards  his  throat  would  be  cut  and  his 
body  thrown  to  the  dogs. 

March  4. — The  Commandant  has  conceded  a  point. 
If  I  can  get  an  assurance  of  help  through  Darfur  from 
Ali  Dinar  at  el  Fachir,  he  will  allow  me  to  go.  It  will 
take  a  good  month  before  I  can  get  an  answer  from  Ali 
Dinar.  A  quick  runner  can  reach  el  Fachir,  or  Darfur 
as  it  is  known  here,  in  sixteen  days  by  the  Mourrah  road, 
which  goes  almost  due  east  from  here.  I  am  getting  the 
head  Mallam  of  the  Sultan  to  write  the  letter,  saying 
that  I  am  English,  and  asking  his  protection  through  to 
el  Fachir.  And  I  have  also  stated  the  present  I  shall 
bring  with  me  (£100,  a  gun  and  a  horse). 

March  6. — A  Fulah,  who  has  been  to  el  Fachir  before, 
has  volunteered  to  go,  and  I  am  sending  Mamadu  with 
him,  giving  a  pound  between  them  for  the  expenses  of 
the  road.  Mamadu  showed  me  the  things  he  had  bought 
in  the  market  for  his  needs  on  the  road,  and  they 
certainly  struck  me  as  a  funny  little  lot :  a  bunch  of 
artificial  coral  for  one  dollar,  six  strings  of  large  blue 
beads  for  the  same,  a  box  of  matches,  a  little  salt,  some 
blue  dye,  and  a  roll  or  two  of  native  paper. 

Last  night,  as  a  last  hope,  I  wrote  the  following  letter 
to  the  Commandant  : — 

"  Cher  Colonel  Julien, — Mon  courier  part  demain, 
et  je  vous  ecris  pour  demander  encore  s'il  serait  possible 
que  vous  changeriez  votre  idee  et  permettriez  moi  de 
partir  d'ici  sous  ma  propre  responsibility  par  la  route 
Mourah  dans  cinq  ou  six  jours.  Je  gagnerais  le  temps 
et  l'argent,  et  je  voudrais  bien  revenir  chez  moi  vers  Mai 
pour  voir  mon  frere,  qui  part  en  Juin  avec  le  Capitain 
Scott  pour  le  Pole  Sud. 

"  Je  crains  que  je  vous  donne  beaucoup  de  peine,"  &c. 


276  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

I  received  no  answer. 

On  the  day  of  our  arrival  here  we  found  that  comfort- 
able quarters  had  been  prepared  for  us  by  the  Sultan 
close  to  the  palace.  To  our  surprise,  a  Sara  boy,  whom 
we  had  met  at  Archambault,  was  told  off  to  attend  upon 
us.  He  is  the  body-servant  of  the  Sultan,  and  when  not 
with  him  is  always  here.  He  is  useful,  too,  as  we  get 
first  news  from  him  of  all  that  happens.  He  is  a  bright 
fellow,  always  laughing  and  dancing,  and  picturesque 
withal  in  his  matted  hair. 

In  the  afternoon  I  and  Jose  went  to  pay  our  respects  to 
the  Sultan.  The  entrance  tower,  through  which  one 
passes  into  the  precincts  where  his  dwelling-houses  are, 
is  an  imposing  structure,  some  sixty  feet  in  height.  During 
his  stay  here  Nachtigal  must  have  passed  through  many 
times  ;  in  fact,  every  morning  to  "  salaam  "  the  Sultan. 
After  emerging  from  the  tower  we  crossed  a  spacious 
court  and  then  threaded  our  way  through  various  ante- 
chambers, well  built  and  quite  twenty  feet  in  height,  and 
connected  one  with  the  other  by  small  courtyards.  In 
one  we  passed  retainers  awaiting  orders ;  in  another 
headmen,  with  their  followers,  expecting  audience  ;  in 
another  groups  of  household  boys  standing  by  ready  to 
distribute  the  mid-day  meals  to  the  various  retainers. 
At  length  we  reached  a  cul-de-sac,  from  which  several 
doorways  led  straight  into  the  dwellings  of  the  Sultan, 
who  appeared  at  one  of  them  after  a  few  moments  to 
greet  us.  We  were  not  quite  strangers,  for  we  had  met 
before  at  a  village  close  to  Fort  Crampel  when  he  was  on 
his  way  down  to  Fort  Lamy  from  Brazzaville.  He  is 
a  tall,  spare  man  of  six  foot,  with  a  much-receding  fore- 
head but  refined  features,  and  a  small  moustache  and 
thin  fringe  of  beard.  His  manner  is  quiet,  and  he  gives 
one  the  impression  of  a  man  wishing  only  to  live  in  peace 


Assil,  Sultan  of  Abkshir. 


'J'hk  Sri  tan's  Pal  vce. 


DIARY   OF  HIS  LAST  JOURNEY         277 

with  his  subjects  and  not  to  be  bothered  by  the  troubles 
that  a  man  of  stronger  character  might  bring  upon 
himself. 

He  welcomed  us  warmly,  expressing  his  great  desire 
to  treat  us  well,  so  that  we  could  give  a  good  account  of 
him  "  to  the  great  English  people  farther  east."  Every 
morning  he  sends  us  a  basket  of  "  chop  "  ;  one  day  it  is 
pigeon  flavoured  with  pepper  and  dressed  with  alkama  ; 
another  day  it  is  fowl  or  game,  done  in  the  same  way. 

The  second  impression  one  gets  of  Abechir  dispels  the 
first  to  a  great  extent,  and  one  comes  to  realise  that  it  is 
really  a  big  town,  and  one  that  goes  back  in  history.  At 
the  present  time  it  is  not  enclosed  by  a  wall,  although 
nearly  every  habitation,  consisting  of  one  or  more  mud 
buildings,  together  with  thatched  huts,  is  walled  in, 
while  those  belonging  to  the  rich  men  are  practically 
forts  in  themselves.  The  heart  of  the  town,  occupying 
about  half  of  the  whole  area,  has  a  substantial  wall  about 
fifteen  feet  in  height ;  in  fact,  this  wall  marks  the  extent 
of  the  original  Abechir  that  was  built  by  the  Sultan 
Cherif.  But  since  those  days  the  town  has  increased 
and  buildings  have  sprung  up  on  every  side.  Now  this 
enclosed  part  of  the  original  town  is  almost  entirely 
covered  by  the  houses  of  the  Sultan  and  by  those  of  his 
retainers.  A  street,  known  as  el  Fachir,  leading  from 
the  western  to  the  eastern  gate,  cuts  it  in  two,  and  about 
half-way,  going  towards  the  east,  the  big  entrance 
building  that  leads  into  the  precincts  of  the  palace 
confronts  one  on  the  right  hand.  From  an  architectural 
point  of  view  it  is  difficult  to  place  it.  It  has  a  flat,  white- 
plastered  front,  about  ninety  feet  in  length  and  eighteen 
feet  in  height,  castellated  and  two-storied,  with  four 
windows.  The  eastern  end  of  the  building  is  higher  and 
forms  the  tower.     On  the  right   hand  of   the  entrance 


278  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

there  is  a  square,  turreted  stairway,  which  leads  to  the 
upper  rooms  and  the  roof.  There  is  nothing  attractive 
about  these  three  rooms,  which  lead  from  one  into  the 
other.  The  walls  are  plain  stucco  and  have  many 
recesses.  Branching  off  at  right  angles  from  the  west 
end  there  is  a  low  wing  consisting  of  one  large, 
rectangular  room,  divided  into  three  parts  by  plain 
Gothic  arches,  and  upon  the  plastered  surface  of  these 
there  are  rough  attempts  at  square  and  diamond-shaped 
patterns  in  coloured  chalks,  but  they  are  all  left  half 
finished. 

In  the  foundations  of  the  tower  itself  there  are  several 
deep  dungeons,  quite  as  dreadful  as  any  in  the  Tower  of 
London.  Many  cruelties  have  been  perpetrated  in  them, 
especially  in  the  reign  of  Doude  Mourrah,  when  refractory 
slaves  were  immured,  some  for  months  at  a  time,  in  total 
darkness,  till  they  grew  tame  or  died  from  their  sufferings, 
while  others  were  heavily  chained  and  ironed  into  painful 
postures  until  they  were  starved  to  death. 

The  whole  building  is  of  brick,  now  in  a  state  of 
dilapidation,  for  the  plaster  has  fallen  away  in  many 
places,  exposing  the  brickwork  to  view.  The  bricks, 
which  are  fire-burnt,  are  large  but  narrow,  and  in  some 
parts  of  the  foundations  rough  stones  have  been  used. 

The  structure  was  begun  by  the  Sultan  Cherif,  and 
finished  in  the  reign  of  Ali.  Men  from  Cairo  (Massa) 
built  it,  and  for  their  labour  took  back  with  them  much 
money  and  valuable  ivory. 

It  retires  a  little  from  the  el  Fachir  street,  and  from 
each  end  a  mud  wall  runs  out  at  right  angles  to  the  front, 
forming  a  quadrangle.  Here,  every  morning,  chiefs  with 
scores  of  men  are  packed  together,  waiting  to  pay  their 
respects  to  the  Sultan. 

The    three   principal    streets   in   the    town    are:    the 


DIARY   OF  HIS  LAST  JOURNEY         279 

Wady  Choc,  which  runs  in  a  north-easterly  direction 
from  opposite  the  market  (this  is  the  road  one  would  take 
for  the  Tripoli  route)  ;  the  el  Fachir  street,  which  runs 
from  the  wTest  to  the  east  gate  through  the  Sultan's 
enclosure,  or  rather  citadel  of  the  town,  and  practically 
cutting  it  in  halves;  and,  lastly,  the  Am  Siogo  street, 
running  in  an  east-by-north  direction  and  gained  by  the 
eastern  gate.  Of  the  three  this  is  the  most  important 
street,  where  the  chief  trade  of  the  town  is  carried  on 
among  the  Tripoli  merchants,  who  live  in  the  high- 
walled  mud  houses  with  entrances  of  rough-hewn  planks 
bounding  each  side  of  the  street.  The  market  really 
begins  where  the  narrow  lane  debouches  into  an  open 
space  formed  by  the  houses  retiring  from  the  alignment 
of  the  road.  From  this  point  onwards  down  the  street, 
from  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  till  late  in  the  after- 
noon, all  the  trading  element  of  Abechir  comes  together. 
Arabs  and  men  from  far-off  Tripoli,  whose  paleness  of 
skin  and  character  of  dress  distinguish  them  from  the 
rest  of  the  market-sellers,  squat  in  a  row  along  the  walls 
with  their  goods  laid  out  in  front  of  them.  The  bigger 
men  dispose  of  their  merchandise  within  the  houses. 
Then,  where  the  street  begins  to  close  in  again,  rows  of 
women,  sometimes  two  deep,  line  one  side  with  their 
baskets  in  front  of  them,  containing  various  kinds  of 
native  food  in  small  quantities.  As  the  street  comes  to 
an  end,  picturesque  groups  of  hills  in  the  distant  back- 
ground stand  out  against  a  bright  blue  sky. 

The  big  market  is  outside  the  palace  walls.  It  can 
only  be  called  big  from  the  point  of  view  of  numbers  and 
not  as  regards  the  produce  that  is  for  sale.  There  are  no 
stalls  like  the  markets  have  in  Bornu,  and  the  women  sit 
in  groups  of  twos  and  threes,  all  huddled  together  in  the 
full  glare  of  the  sun.     The  Bornu  cloth  is  much  worn 


280  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

here,  which  lends  to  the  aspect  of  the  crowd  a  prevailing 
note  of  dark  blue.  There  is  nothing  on  sale  but  country 
produce,  mostly  food-stuffs,  which  are  brought  in  cala- 
bashes, in  small  quantities  to  suit  the  needs  of  the  poor 
man.  It  is  a  mixed  lot  of  goods,  but  each  trade  is 
grouped  together  as  a  rule.  In  one  corner  the  meat- 
sellers  are  to  be  seen  with  the  meat,  which  is  generally 
cut  up  in  small  pieces,  placed  on  straw-woven  mats 
before  them.  But  there  are  some  bigger  lots,  such  as 
the  sides  and  legs  of  animals,  and  these  are  strung  to 
upright  poles.  In  another  part  are  the  sellers  of  fire- 
wood and  dry  fodder  for  the  horses.  The  former  is 
brought  to  the  market  from  a  great  distance  on  the 
backs  of  donkeys. 

Among  the  food-stuffs  are  sold  several  sorts  of  seeds  and 
vegetables  that  are  used  for  making  soup.  Of  seeds,  for 
example,  I  noticed  the  following  :  Kabua  (Hausa), 
Duraba  (Arabic),  Kowal  (Arabic), Betarrk  (Arabic)  orReedi 
(Hausa),  much  cultivated  by  the  Munchi,  a  whitish  seed 
like  that  of  the  water-melon.  Then  there  is  another, 
a  small  black  seed  known  as  Sumsum  (Arabic)  and  Karr- 
kasic  (Hausa),  and  the  dried  leaves  of  a  vegetable  called 
Karkangi  (Arabic)  and  Yakwa  (Hausa) . 

Other  foods  are:  wafers  of  "  gero "  called  Kisseri 
(Arabic)  and  Tewa  (Hausa),  Alkama  or  Gummi  (Arabic), 
peppercorns,  called  Siegett  (Arabic)  ;  tomatoes,  onions, 
and  an  excellent  turnip  called  Figgel  (Arabic).  It  grows 
to  some  size  and  is  like  a  carrot  in  shape.  It  was 
originally  brought  from  Egypt  by  the  old  historian, 
Mahamud  Bamba,  on  his  return  from  Mecca.  There  are 
two  kinds  of  salt ;  the  better  kind  is  in  rocks  of  a  pale  pink 
colour ;  the  other,  which  is  white,  is  really  a  kind  of  pot- 
ash. Other  products  are  camel-butter,  ground-nuts,  and 
grains,  such  as  "  gero,"  "  dawa,"  and  "  maywa,"  which  is 


DIARY  OF  HIS  LAST  JOURNEY         281 

like  "  gero,"  but  ripening  later,  and  much  grown  in  Bornu 
and  but  little  in  Wadai. 

There  are  several  kinds  of  scent  to  be  found  in  the 
market.  One  is  a  berry,  about  the  size  and  colour  of  a 
cranberry,  and  called  Dillkie  (Arabic),  Ajajerri  (Hausa). 
It  is  mixed  with  butter  and  then  rubbed  into  the  skin. 
It  has  a  cleansing  effect  as  well.  Another  is  Summuk, 
which  is  a  gum  from  the  mimosa,  or  Tewlalli  (Hausa). 
Then  there  is  a  reddish  wood,  which  is  ground  to  powder 
and  used  on  the  head.  The  women  of  Bornu  favour  it  a 
good  deal.     Another  wood  is  called  Nukkeri  (Arabic). 

At  one  end  of  the  big  approach  to  the  palace  is  the 
cattle  market ;  not  much  of  one  to  speak  of,  since  there 
is  no  cattle  in  the  country,  for  there  is  nothing  to  feed 
them  on.  At  the  present  time  a  bullock  sells  at  from 
eight  to  ten  dollars,  a  cow  fourteen,  a  big  sheep  one  and 
a  half  to  two,  and  a  donkey  six  or  seven. 

No,  "Wadai  can  boast  of  little  except  its  beer  and  the 
use  of  the  knife  ! 

Abechir  is  wonderfully  situated  in  a  natural  arena.  In 
whatever  direction  one  scans  the  horizon,  groups  of  hills 
of  reddish  stone,  some  with  sharp  peaks  that  look  as  if 
they  had  been  cut  out  of  cardboard,  meet  the  eyes  at 
intervals.  In  the  centre  of  this  great  arena  the  town  is 
built  on  a  slight  elevation  formed  between  the  two  little 
streams  of  Wady  Schau  and  Am  Kammel,  the  former 
flowing  past  the  north  end  of  the  town,  the  latter  by  the 
south,  both  finding  their  way  eventually  into  the  Wady 
Choc.     They  rise  in  the  hills  near  Mourrah  to  the  east. 

The  sandy  plain  all  round  has  the  appearance  of  ground 
that  has  been  reclaimed  from  the  sea.  It  is  scattered 
with  stunted  Euphorbia,  and  a  compact  plant,  called 
Dielon  by  the  Hausas  and  Mahet  by  the  Arabs,  which 
has  stiff,  oval  leaves  of  bluish  green  and  berries  that  grow 


282  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

in  thick  clusters,  which  are  eaten  by  the  natives.     It  is 
scarce  in  Bornu  but  plentiful  in  Dermerghrum. 

The  plain  is  treeless,  but  there  are  some  ill-grown  trees 
in  the  town  itself,  which  afford  no  shade  but  from  a 
distance  give  the  place  an  appearance  of  being  well  off  in 
this  respect.  Abechir  can  boast  of  only  one  fine  tree,  that 
by  reason  of  its  size  and  solitary  position  is  a  good  land- 
mark. It  stands  not  far  from  the  town  and  close  to  the 
Fezzan  road. 

March  9. — A  strong  reconnaissance  of  five  officers  and 
115  men  left  for  the  direction  of  the  north  to-day. 

March  11. — A  caravan  of  fifteen  camels  came  in  from 
Benghazi  to-day.  The  chief  merchandise  was  cloth- 
stuffs  of  various  kinds,  and  scents,  cones  of  sugar,  and 
tea.  These  Arabs  had  been  three  months  on  the  road, 
which  they  describe  as  being  bad.  In  places  one  has  to 
go  eight  to  ten  days  without  water,  and  six  days  without 
food  for  camels. 

Here  the  palmy  days  of  the  caravan  are  over.  Before 
the  French  occupation  a  trader  would  arrive  with  a 
hundred  camels  at  a  time,  and  everything  was  very  much 
cheaper.  In  those  days  a  dollar  would  buy  a  cone  of 
sugar,  that  now  costs  double  that  price.  Of  course,  too, 
there  was  a  great  trade  in  slaves  and  guns,  but  now  that 
has  been  put  down.  There  were  no  caravans  in  the  rains, 
but  in  the  dry  season  there  was  one  arriving  every  month. 
And  the  number  of  Tripoli  traders,  which  used  to  be 
between  200  and  250,  is  now  reduced  to  60  or  70. 

March  13. — For  the  last  four  days  there  have  been 
strong,  cold  winds  from  the  north-east  at  night,  invariably 
causing  harmattan  effects  during  the  morning. 

The  white  camel  died  this  morning.  My  number  is 
now  reduced  to  two.     Camels  seem  to  be  most  delicate 


DIARY  OF  HIS  LAST  JOURNEY         283 

animals ;  no  sooner  do  they  fall  sick  than  they  are  ready 
to  give  up  the  ghost  at  once.  The  wastage  in  camel  flesh 
on  active  service  must  be  enormous.  There  is  no  food  fit 
for  them  in  this  neighbourhood.  I  am  giving  my  remain- 
ing two  to  the  Sultan  to  look  after,  and  they  will  feed 
with  his  own  camels  at  some  distance  from  here. 

March  17. — Serious  news  has  come  in.  A  large  force 
from  Ali  Dinar  is  within  a  day  of  the  town.  They  have 
burnt  several  towns  belonging  to  Mourrah,  Mareb  for  one. 
My  two  men  have  been  taken  prisoners ;  but  it  is  reported 
that  my  letter  has  been  sent  forward  to  Ali  Dinar. 

The  Commandant  has  given  me  the  following  informa- 
tion. The  enemy's  force  left  el  Fachir  on  the  12th  of 
February  and  on  March  8th  occupied  Nyeri,  the  capital 
of  Tama,  reinstating  Othman  as  Sultan  of  that  place. 
Previously  this  man  was  driven  away  by  the  French, 
who  made  Hassan  Sultan  in  his  place.  Then  the  latter 
in  his  turn  was  driven  away  by  the  Massalit  after  the 
disaster  to  the  French  arms.  In  the  reign  of  Ali  Tama 
paid  tribute  to  Wadai,  but  not  since  that  time. 

The  force  is  commanded  by  Adem  Roudjal,  Com- 
mander-in-Chief, and  under  him  Adem  Ali,  Mahmoud 
Ali  Bardingaye,  Ali-el-Senoussi,  and  Ibrahim  Harsun, 
cousin  of  Ali  Dinar.  The  strength  of  this  force  is  com- 
puted at  2,500  rifles,  of  which  two-thirds  are  rapid  ;  200 
horsemen  (Furian),  800  horsemen  (Arabs,  Tama,  &c), 
commanded  by  Badjisuri  Kamkolak,  Adri  Echenay,  and 
several  others  who  were  faithful  to  Doude  Mourrah  and 
became  refugees  at  el  Fachir  after  the  occupation  of 
Abechir  by  the  French. 

On  the  15th  of  March  800  horsemen  burnt  villages  to 
the  north-east,  fifteen  kilometres  from  Mourrah,  killing 
men  and  seizing  women,  children,  and  cattle,  after  which 
they  retired  to  Tama. 


284  BOYD  ALEXANDER 

March  18. — Last  night  five  chiefs  of  the  Sultan  left  to 
join  Ali  Dinar's  force  ;  they  took  with  them  one  of  the 
Sultan's  show  horses  and  over  200  rifles. 

There  is  a  great  deal  of  unrest  here.  The  majority  of 
the  people  would  like  to  see  the  old  regime  back,  as  it 
was  in  the  days  of  Doude  Mourrah,  although  he  per- 
petrated cruelties,  for  they  had  a  free  hand  and  could  raid 
when  they  liked. 

The  following  are  the  names  of  the  five  chiefs : 
Abdallah,  Abukka,  Barrka  Bedirr,  Shaihi,  and  Annay. 
With  the  exception  of  the  last,  who  is  Wadai,  the  others 
are  all  slaves,  Arabs  originally  from  the  Bedirr  country, 
except  Shaihi,  who  is  Sara.  Besides  these,  three  of  the 
"  big  men  "  in  Mourrah  have  joined  el  Fachir. 

Raids  upon  Wadai  by  Darfur  are  not  unknown  in  the 
past.  In  the  reign  of  Cherif  there  was  a  big  one  on  much 
the  same  scale  as  the  present. 

It  is  said  that  the  latter  has  been  brought  about  by  the 
disaffected  chiefs  tempting  the  raiders  by  their  reports  on 
the  large  amount  of  cattle  and  other  plunder  to  be  had. 

March  18. — After  lengthy  discussions,  the  king  in  the 
afternoon  sent  off  a  picked  force  of  his  most  trustworthy 
men  to  try  and  come  up  with  the  renegades  and  persuade 
them  to  return.  The  Sara  boy  goes  with  them.  This  is 
a  blow  to  us,  as  he  has  looked  after  our  wants  very  well. 

March  20. — We  have  finished  with  the  harmattan ; 
it  has  become  very  much  hotter,  and  the  sky  is  very  blue, 
without  any  haze. 

March  21. — Have  sent  off  Jollolo  to-day  to  Maidugari 
with  forty-two  photo  films  and  a  letter  to  Brocklebank, 
asking  him,  should  he  think  it  necessary,  to  cable  in  code 
home  a  resume  of  the  information  the  Commandant  gave 
me.    The  latter  expressed  a  wish  that  I  should  send  a  cable. 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST  JOURNEY  285 

I  suppose  that  if  Darfur  has  really  raided  Wadai  it  means 
we  shall  have  to  give  compensation.  Jollolo  is  to  return 
here  with  £25,  for  my  funds  are  getting  low,  and  I  cannot 
tell  how  long  I  shall  be  here. 

Towards  evening  the  king's  men  returned  without 
coming  up  with  the  runaways.  They  had  had  orders 
not  to  enter  Nyeri. 

March  22. — Several  Al  Hadji  arrived  from  Mecca 
to-day  by  the  Da  Sila  road.  These  journeys  on  the 
average  have  taken  from  three  to  four  years.  They  have 
not  many  good  words  for  Ali  Dinar,  but  the  last  man 
I  questioned  said  that  the  Sultan  used  to  be  bad,  but 
that  now  he  had  mended  his  ways. 

Rumour  is  rife  that  an  Egyptian  force  is  advancing 
against  el  Fachir,  and  Zubeir's  name  is  frequently 
mentioned. 

The  following  are  the  principal  towns  on  the  road  from 
Da  Sila  to  el  Fachir,  which  they  report  is  a  good  one, 
with  plenty  of  water  and  food. 

From  here  to  Da  Sila  is  six  days.  Then  come  Gusa- 
bayda,  Ustarayna,  Kuku,  Gusamerie,  Dourie,  Gimayza, 
Azumm,  Marmarie,  Simyar,  Marginnie,  Amayram, 
Binduss,  Diebiss,  Kayla,  Bir  Tir  Weel. 

The  Al  Hadji  took  twenty-two  to  twenty-five  days  to 
complete  this  distance,  but  I  think  it  could  be  done  in 
eighteen  days. 

Through  the  aid  of  the  Sultan  I  have  unearthed  the 
historian  of  the  town,  one  Mahamud  Bamba.  He  is 
a  Kanuri,  and  came  here  in  the  reign  of  Harrifen.  He 
went  to  Mecca  with  the  Sultan  Cherif,  and  on  his  way 
back  visited  Stamboul  when  Mahamud  Hania  was 
Sultan,  and  for  some  time  after  that  was  a  soldier.  At  the 
present  time  he  must  certainly  be  quite  ninety  years  old, 
but  he  himself  claims  to  be  over  a  hundred.     His  memory 


286  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

is  wonderful.  He  was  an  intimate  friend  of  Nachtigal's, 
who  used  often  to  sit  and  drink  coffee  with  the  old  historian 
while  he  listened  to  him  relating  stories  of  his  city  and 
people. 

Although  bent  with  age  now,  he  must  have  been  a  big 
man  in  his  younger  years.  Even  now  everything  about 
him  is  big  in  form.  His  heavy  features  are  negroid  in 
appearance,  a  pug-nose  like  indiarubber  and  much  splayed 
out  at  the  nostrils,  and  thick  lips.  His  hands  are  big  and 
bony,  and  the  left  never  leaves  his  praying-beads,  which 
are  extra  large  on  account  of  his  rheumy  eyes.  His  fore- 
head is  lined  with  deep  furrows,  the  result,  I  should  say, 
of  much  recounting.  His  white  moustache  and  little 
beard  are  almost  hair-bare,  and  his  shiny  head  is  in  the 
same  condition.  When  the  morning  is  cold  he  comes  to 
me  in  a  capacious  reach-me-down  coat  of  leather,  much 
after  the  style  of  a  beater's  coat,  and  overalls  to  match, 
and  both  are  worn  ruddy  with  age.  He  has  a  cheery  heart 
that  seems  to  be  foretold  in  his  light  and  almost  springy 
step,  as  with  bent  back  he  hastens  forward  to  shake  one 
by  the  hand.  After  that  he  settles  himself  down  upon  his 
mat  with  many  "  Dear,  oh  dears  !  " 

Old  as  he  is,  he  has  method  in  the  recounting  of  his 
facts.  In  answer  to  a  question  he  will  sprawl  out  his  bony 
hand  to  smooth  the  gravel ;  then  with  the  forefinger 
he  will  make  strokes  as  he  proceeds  to  record  the  various 
names  or  points  in  his  story.  And  then,  the  tale  finished, 
the  bony  fingers  will  sprawl  out  once  more  to  smooth  over 
the  surface  of  the  ground  just  as  one  rubs  figures  from  a 
slate. 

Note  on  the  Origin  of  the  Wadai  People. 

They  claim  to  have  come  from  Mecca  originally,  but 
I  am  much  more  inclined  to  think  it  was  from  somewhere 


DIARY   OF   HIS   LAST   JOURNEY  287 

in  the  region  of  Darfur.  They  were  led  by  King  Abdul 
Kerim,  who  founded  Wara,  a  day's  march  to  the  north  of 
Abechir,  and  there  the  Wadai  dynasty  was  begun.  After 
the  death  of  Abdul  Kerim  the  next  Sultan  was  Sarbun, 
whose  reign  began  about  1770,  and  lasted  for  thirty-three 
years.  Under  his  rule  there  was  great  peace,  and  the 
herds  increased,  and  there  was  much  prosperity,  and 
no  molestation  at  the  hands  of  the  Arabs.  Probably 
to  escape  from  persecution  was  the  original  cause  of 
their  migration  westwards. 

On  the  death  of  Sarbun,  Harrifen,  one  of  his  three 
sons,  succeeded  him  as  Sultan.  The  other  two  were 
named  Darrad  and  Dahawieya.  Harrifen  is  the  first 
Sultan  that  my  informant,  Mahamud  Bamba,  can  re- 
member. His  reign  lasted  for  fifteen  years,  and  he 
appears  to  have  gained  popularity  with  his  subjects  by 
drawing  upon  the  prosperity  of  his  father's  reign.  He 
was  generous  and  gave  away  great  presents ;  he  played 
and  feasted,  and  meat  could  be  had  by  any  one  for  the 
asking.  In  those  days  a  Kano  gown  would  fetch  twelve 
cows  in  the  market,  which  is  an  indication  of  the  great 
prosperity  of  the  herds. 


Here  the  Diary  ends,  or  rather  stops,  for  it  is  clear 
that  there  was  more  to  come  when  the  writer  sat  down 
to  make  one  of  those  little  histories  of  which  he  was 
so  fond. 

We  see  that  there  had  been  no  thought  in  his  mind 
for  some  time  of  going  forward  on  his  journey,  and  so 
the  unworthy  rumour  that  he  lost  his  life  in  an  attempt 
to  escape  from  his  detention  at  Abechir  by  employing  a 
ruse  is  here  shown  to  be  utterly  false. 

It   was   only  natural,   seeing   the   shuffling   that  was 


288  BOYD   ALEXANDER 

going  on  upon  the  border,  that  the  French  should  regard 
him  as  a  spy  at  first,  or  even  worse,  a  fate-sent  accuser, 
for  his  arrival  at  Abechir  was  nothing  less  than  a  marvel- 
lous historical  coincidence. 

But  as  we  read  on  we  can  see  how  his  transparent 
honesty  was  steadily  breaking  down  all  prejudice.  Then 
in  the  crisis  of  war  the  moment  comes  which  he  believes 
to  be  his  for  action.  In  no  reckless  spirit,  but  with  full 
knowledge  of  the  great  danger  he  is  running,  yet  believing 
in  the  power  of  his  name  as  an  Englishman,  he  presses 
forward  unarmed  to  interpose  himself  between  the  Furians 
and  the  French  and  persuade  Ali  Dinar  to  refrain  from 
joining  in  the  war  against  the  white  man. 

We  have  seen  by  how  little  he  failed ! 

Loud  as  was  the  voice  of  natural  sympathy  that  went 
up  to  mourn  a  brave  man's  death,  the  patriot's  deed  still 
waits  a  word  of  thanks.  It  might  almost  seem  to  us  as 
if  my  brother  had  gone  under  a  cloud  to  his  death. 


INDEX 


Abaei,  198 

Abatchi,  misdemeanours  of,  244-6 

Abbagowada,  wells  at,  244 

Abdul  Kerim,  founder  of  Abechir  dy- 
nasty, 287 

Abechir,  249,  260,  269,  270,  273,  276, 
277,  279,  284;  French  occupation 
of,  230-2,  248-9,  272-3;  journey  to, 
48-9,  232  et  seq. 

Abrio,  M.,  91 

Abu  Idielli,  forest  near,  238 

Adamawa,  Fulani,  settlement  of,  159 

Adametza,  Commandant,  133,  135 

Adarnu,  or  Mordibo,  159,  160  et  seq. 

Adwa  tree,  uses  of,  221,  232 

Afade,  221-2 

African  birds,  Boyd  Alexander's  be- 
quest of,  to  British  Museum,  59 

Agurin,  Adamu  at,  160 

Ala,  Kanuri  town,  199 

Albanell,  Padre,  68 

Alexander,  — ,  275 

Alexander,  Claud,  of  Ballochmyle, 
5,  7 

Alexander,  Lieut. -Colonel  Boyd  Fran- 
cis, 5,  6,  14 

Alexander,  Dr.,  Maifoni,  177 

Alexander,  Herbert,  177 

Alexander,  Captain  Claud,  32-6,  44, 
54,  144,  145,  176-8 

Alexander,  Mrs.  B.  F.,  6-7,  36 

Alexander,  Robert,  twin  of  Boyd,  8 
et  seq. 

Alexander,  Sir  Claud,  of  Ballochmyle, 
5 

Alexander,  Wilhelmina,  Burns's  verses 
on,  5,  6,  7 

Ali  Dinar,  Sultan  of  Darfur,  44,  49, 
222,  230,  275,  283,  285 

Ambas  Island,  69 

Ambatch,  uses  of,  73,  215 

Am  Haggar,  261-3 

Am  Kammel  stream,  281 

Angola  natives  in  the  Cocoa  Islands, 
77-8 


Animal  sacrifice  of  the  Bakwiri,  110- 

11 
Annobon,  visit  to,  68,  81,  84-8 
Antelopes,  Nijellit,  seen,  252,  sought, 

257,  258 ;  Roan,  255 
Arabic,  spoken  by  older  Bulala,  250 
Arbari,  on  the  So  people,  218-19 
Argoutie,  268-9 
Ashimi,  Shehu  of  Kukawa,  defeated 

by  Rabeh,  187-8 
Assan,  Sultan  of  the  Bulala,  at  Yao, 

250-1 
Assil,  Sultan  of  Wadai,  48,  50,  271, 

272,  276-7,  284 
Athi,  248 
Axim,  75 

Babenki,  135 

Babirr,  Rabeh's  captain,  187 

Babukon, 136 

Bafum-bum,  136-7 

Bahr  Batha,  affluent  of  Lake  Fittri, 

250,  252,  258,  263 ;  navigability  of, 

263  ;  tributary  of,  255 
Bakka  people,  265-6 
Bakwiri  race,  animal  sacrifice  among, 

110-11  ;  dirty  habits  of,   100,  110 ; 

towns  of,  113,  114 
Balama,  Munshi  village,  143 
Ba  Ligna  River,  234 
Ballochmyle,     association    of,     with 

Burns,  5,  6 
Bambui,  natives,  market  and  houses 

at,  134-5 
Bamenda,   journey  from   to  Ibi,   132 

et  seq. 
Bamilikie  tribe,  at  D'san,  132 
Barclay,  — ,  Resident,  Yola,  152,  162  ; 

death  of,  163 
Bare,  129 

Barth, — ,  on  the  Kanuri,  180 
Basel  Mission,  Kamerun,  113 
Bashima  tribe,  160 
Batanga  fishermen,  72-3 
Bates,  career  of,  73 


20 


290 


INDEX 


Batta  pagans,  160 

Bautchi,  Mecca  pilgrims  from,  246 

Bead  currency,  Kusseri,  229 

Bedina,  258 

Beecroft,   Commander,  monument  to, 

67 
Beer,  Wadaian,  274-5,  281 
Behagle's  monument,  201,  203 
Benghazi,  caravan  from,  282 
Bere  Bere,  Hausa  name  for  Kanuri, 

184 
Bere  Bere,  town,  172 
bi  Fadio,  Emir,  160 
Bird  notes,  last  journey,  69,  73-4, 217- 

18,  235,  254 
Birds,   collections   of,  by  Boyd  Alex- 
ander, 16  etjwssim  ;   in  San  Thonie\ 

82,  83,  86,  92-3 
Birket  Fateme,  258-9 
Birni,  former  Kanuri  capital,  181-3  ; 

ruins  of,  181,  182 
Birth  customs,    Cameroon    (Ninong), 

125 
Blindness,  at  Konduga,  196 
Blue  dye  made  near  Mussoba,  173 
Bobo  Amadu,  late  Emir  of  Yola,  153, 

154, 161  et  seq. 
Body  staining  at  Bambui,  134 
Bongor,  canoe  transport  to,  229 
Booth,  Major,  of  Geidam,  185 
Bornu,  agriculture  in,  172,  184,  193, 

199;    cloth  of,  279-80;   horses  of, 

209  ;  Rabeh  at,  185  et  seq.  ;  races 

in,  181,  183,   197;    Shehu  of,  see 

Garuba 
Borrero,  or  Bush-Fulani,  164-5,  237  ; 

colour  of,  159 
Boyle,  — ,   Assistant   Resident,   Yola, 

152,  158 
Brairna,   and  the    photographs,  226, 

257 
Bricks,  Kanuri-made,  182-3 
Brigandage,  Verre  tribe,  152-3 
Brissot,  Commandant,  226,  248,  271 
British  administration  in  Yola  region, 

162  ;  desired  at  Abechir,  273-7 
Brocklebank,  — ,  at  Maifoni,  176, 177, 

178-9,  194, 256-7,  261 
Brule,  Lieutenant,  225 
Buduma    of    Lake    Chad,    origin    of 

tradition  on,  182 
Buea,     70,  100-1,     120;    earthquake 

shocks      near,      109-10,      113-14; 

journey  from,  120  et  seq. 
Buffalo,  128-9,  137 
Bukar  Kargu,  Kachella,  173 
Bulala  people,  240,  246,  250 
Bulala  town,  239-41 
Bullock  teams,  Brocklebank' s,  179 


Burns,  Robert,  5,  6 
Bush,  217,  219,  221-3,  234 
Bush-Fulani,  159, 164-5 

Cahras,  Ilha  das,  75 

Cairene  builders,  Abechir,  278 

Calabar,  in  1909,  Boyd  Alexander  on, 
65-7 

Camels,  purchase  of,  149,  185,  217, 
228,  234,  242-3, 255-6,  282-3 

Cameroons  (see  also  Victoria),  cocoa 
plantations  in,  120;  mountains  of, 
70,  72 

Camping,  methods  of  Boyd  Alexander, 
199-200 ;  versus  house  dwelling, 
91-2 ;  visitors,  welcome  and  other, 
200 

Canoes,  Buduma  and  Kotoko,  182 

Cape  Coast  Castle,  75 

Cape  Verde  Islands,  Boyd  Alexander's 
expedition  to,  28-9 ;  labourers  from, 
on  Prince's  Island,  96 

Caravans,  palmy  days  of,  over,  282 

Carriole  Peak,  Principe,  94 

Cattle,  164,  220,  281 

Chameleons,  200 

Chauk,  fight  at,  229,  231 

Chauvelot,  Captain,  Boyd  Alexander's 
diary  found  by,  52,  225 

Cherif,  Sultan  of  Darfur,  284,  285 

Chibuk  people,  aspect,  171 ;  dwell- 
ings, 170  ;  funerals,  170  ;  languages, 
171 ;  tribal  marks,  171 ;  truculence, 
166-7, 170 

Chibuk  hills  and  road,  166-7,  170,  172 

Chinchingi,  143 

Clemen,  Herr,  79 

Coast  towns,  W.  Africa,  75 

Cocoa  cultivation,  83,  97,  126 

Cocoa  Islands,  bird-collections  in,  31, 
44,  69,  82,  83,  86,  92-3 

Communications,  see  Road-making 

Compactum  camp  bed,  246 

Compagnie  Ouhame  et  de  la  Nana, 
150-1 ;  prices  of,  229 

Congo  forest  animals,  Boyd  Alexan- 
der's passage  on,  cited,  27 

Cotton-spinning  and  weaving,  Logo- 
mane,  212 

Cow-Fulani,  160 

Cow  trade,  Cameroon,  130-1 

Cowrie  currency,  Bambui,  134-5 

Crater  Lakes  (Eddip),  near  Ninong, 
126 

Crocodile  Pool,  Wukari,  144  and  n 

Crocodiles,  Bahr  Batha  (river),  258 

Cuckoo,  Boyd  Alexander's  passage  on, 
cited,  26-7 

Currency,  134-5,  153,  198,  229,  241 


INDEX 


291 


Customs,  Portuguese  and  German,  76, 
89-91,  98,  100 

Dahawieta,  of  Abeehir,  287 

Dallwa,  173  etseq. 

Dalziel,  Dr.,  Yola,  152 

Dances,  170,  175-6 

Darfur,  political  problem  of,  43 

Darjeeling,  7 

Dar  Massalit,  247,  249 

Darracl,  of  Wadai,  287 

Dar  Sila,  285 

Dates  from  Abeehir,  257 

Dear,  Charles,  painter,  39 

Death   and  burial   customs :  Bakwiri, 

110-11,  Batta,  157  ;  Cameroon,  124  ; 

Chibuk,    170;   Fulani,    153;   Mun- 

shi,  143  ;  Verre,  153 
De  Baba,  adventures  of,  222 
Desert  dunes,  191 
Diaries  of  Boyd  Alexander,  58-9  ;  given 

to  Miss  MacLeod,  48,  53,  60 
Dielon  plant,  281-2 
Dikoa,  192  et  seq.,  200,  201-3,  205-7, 

210-24,  227,   251;  German  rule  at, 

200,    205  et   seq. ;  horses    of,    209  ; 

Eabeh's  headquarters,  185  n,  189-90 
Disarmed  tribes,  Wadai,  262-3 
Dix, — ,  police  officer,  Yola,  152 
Djanabara,  Bulala  town,  246,  249 
Dog  Peak,  San  Thome\  84 
Dollars  as  currency,  158  and  n,  162-3, 

229,  241 
Donga  River,  rapids  on,  138 
Dorote,  battle  of,  225  n 
Doude  Mourra,  ex-Sultan   of  Wadai, 

and  the  disturbances  due  to,  48-9, 

271,  273,  274,  276,  278,  288 
Duala,  trade,  &c,  of,  71-2 
Dubabe,  game  near,  222 
Duisburg,     Lieut.      von,      Resident, 

Dikoa,  205,  207 
Duke  Town,  Lagos,  65 
Dum  palm,  242 
Dumas,  M.,  150 
Dumba,  137 
Duncan,  Capt.    J.,  Boyd  Alexander's 

expedition  with,  28-9 
Durban,  Musso  Majie  village,  261 
Durrant,  Mr. ,  75-6 
Dwellings  :  Marragi,      169  ;    Munshi, 

143  ;  Shua,  236 
Dysentery  at  Annobon,  88 
Dwyer,  second  in  command,  Yola,  152 

Ebor  natives,  65 
Ediki,  121,  123 

Ekunolelu,  Bakwiri  village,  113,  116, 
119 


elBirni,  Middogo  town,  253-5 

Elephant  grass,  72 

Elephant-shooting  fees  and  permits, 
261 

Elephants,  215  ;  ferocious,  129 

el  Fachir,  Boyd  Alexander's  objective 
in  last  journey,  44,  226,  270 

el  Krenek,  256-7 

Ellis, — ,  police  officer,  Ibi,  145,  146 

Elphinstone,  O.  V.,  Resident,  Ibi, 
145 

English,  French,  and  German  methods 
in  Africa,  71,  128,  140-1,  152,  153, 
168,  227,  228,  239 

Etam,  123 

Eurema,  the,  of  Yola,  158-9 

Expeditions  :  First,  with  Capt.  J.  Dun- 
can to  Cape  Verde  Islands,  28-9  ; 
second,  "Cape  to  Cairo"  with 
Major  Gibbons,  29  ;  third,  from 
Gambaga  to  Accra  Coast,  30  ;  fourth, 
to  Fernando  Po,  31 ;  fifth,  Alex- 
ander-Gosling, "  From  the  Niger  to 
the  Nile,"  aims,  course,  and  success 
of,  32  et  seq.  ;  last,  course  of,  from 
Abeehir  to  death  of  Boyd  Alexander, 
48  et  seq.  ;  Boyd  Alexander's  diary 
of,  63  et  seq. 

Face-hiding  by  women  of  Shehu  of 
Dikoa, 209 

Faderella,  Rabeh's  son,  187,  201, 
203-4,  228 

Fagan,  C.  E.,  22 

Fan  tribe,  locale  of,  74 

Fea,  — ,  thrush  found  by,  on  Principe, 
97 

Fernando  Po,  Boyd  Alexander's  expe- 
ditions to,  31,  67-9,  98 

Fiegenschuh,  Captain,  229,  231 ;  and 
the  Massalit,  247-8,  271-2 

Field  Imprisonment,  No.  1,  245-6 

Fishing  at  Am  Haggar,  261 

Fitteri,  Kouka  village,  256 

Flowers,  scarcity  of,  in  Africa,  223-4 

Food-stuffs  at  Abeehir,  280 

Football,  at  Muyuka,  121 

Fort  Crampel,  271,  276 

Fort  Lamy,  226-7,  228,  233,  234 ; 
letter  to,  224-5;  visit  to,  232 
et  seq.  ;  diaries  given  at,  to  Miss 
MacLeod,  48,  68 

Fosberry,  W.,  Provincial  Commis- 
sioner, Calabar,  65 

Fox,  Captain,  Calabar,  67 

Francolin,  of  Miissacke  Cameroons, 
107-8,  111 

French  (see  Abeehir,  Fort  Lamy,  etc.) 
apture    of    Wadai,    177;    colonial 


292 


INDEX 


methods,  228,  239;  defeat  by,  of 
Rabeh,  185  n  et  seq.  ;  leave  to  travel 
in  Chad  territory  accorded,  48, 
withdrawn,  49  ;  military  operations 
in  Wadai,  Moll  on,  229  et  seq. ; 
Massalit  affair,  247-9 

"From  the  Niger  to  the  Nile,"  33 
et  seq.,  37-9  ;  cited,  19-20,  26-7,  73  n 

Fulani,  (see  also  Bush  and  Cow  do.), 
159,  161-2,  181-2 

Furian  raid  on  French  territory, 
Boyd  Alexander's  investigation  of, 
49  ;  upshot  of,  50-1 ;  death  of  Boyd 
Alexander,  52 

Gajiro,  swifts  at,  211 

Gallwui,  new  puppy  adopted  at,  217 

Gambaga,  Boyd  Alexander's  expedi- 
tion from,  30 

Gambaru  Biver,  215-16 

Game,  see  wider  names 

"  Gari,"  195  and  n 

Garuba,  Shehu  of  Bornu,  251  and  n  ; 
and  his  brother,  205,  207 

Garuba,  Kukawa  (Kanuri),  133 

Gazelles,  211,  213,  215,  217,  219,  221, 
244,  255,  258  ;  red-fronted,  234,  258 

"  Gear  "  drink,  Wadai,  274 

Geese,  Gambaru  Biver,  217 

Gellen,  tsetse  belt  near,  163-4 

Gentil,  185  n 

Geri,  163 

German,  French,  and  English  methods 
in  Africa,  71,  128,  132,  140-1,  152, 
153,  168,  227,  228,  239 

German  Sudan,  251 

Giajola,  M.,  150 

Gibbons,  Major,  Boyd  Alexander's 
expedition  with,  29 

Giddan  Adamu,  142-3 

Giddan  Sama,  138-40 

Gimeta,  village,  Yola,  151,  152 

Giraffes,  224,  252,  258 

Girrni,  Bere  Bere  town,  172 

Glossitia  palpalis,  on  Prince's  Island, 
95-6 

Gokombi,  170 

Gold  Coast,  Boyd  Alexander's  bird- 
collections  from,  29-30 

Gold  Coast  Constabulary,  Boyd 
Alexander's   service  in,   29 

Gordon,  General  C.  G.,  Boyd  Alexan- 
der's hero-worship  of,  18,  45 

Gosling,  Captain  G.  B.,  34,  35,  54, 
165 

Grant,  Ogilvie,  and  Boyd  Alexander, 
22,  30 

Ground  pigeon,  San  Thome,  83 

Gubduri,  Shua  town,  197 


Gubigi,  215 

Guinea-fowl,  233 

Guinea-pigeons,  in  camps,  200 

Guinea-worm,  126-7 

Gulfei,  tribute  paid  by,  to  Germany, 

228 
Gumsuru,  172 
Gurin,  160 

Hadjar    Din,   Massalit,   Sultan,   and 

Fiegenschuh,  271-7 
Hairdressing  :  Bulala,  240  ;  Kanembu 

181 ;  Kanuri,  176,  181  ;  Kurio,  181 

Kwoyam,     181  ;      Middogo,     253 

Mobbur,  181 ;  Shua,  219-20  ;  Tubu, 

181 
Ham,  transport  to,  229 
Hammond,  Sergeant,  at  Pella,  165, 166 
Hansen  Crater,  119  et  prmvi,  120 
Hansen,     Herr,      Acting      Governor, 

Buea,  100-1,  120 
Harmattan,  causes  and  consequences 

of,  67,  71,  190-1,  198,  241 
Harrifen,  Sultan  of  Wadai,  287 
Hartebeest   (see   also   Senegal   Harte- 

beest),  222 ;  new  kind,  258,  265 
Hassan,  Sultan  of  Tama,  283 
Hastings,  Warren,  7 
Hausas,    courtesy,     138 ;     language, 

141-2  ;   as  porters,  76-7,   104 ;     as 

travellers,  246  ;  wrestling  by,  174 ; 

where  met,  133,  137,  138,  147 
Hazley,  school  life  at,  14,  15 
Head-shaving  as  calendar,  269 
Helmets,  Dikoa,  206 
Hewby,  W.  P.,  177,180 
Hiatu,    conflict    of,     with   Faderella, 

203-4 
Hitchens,  — ,  on  palm  oil  and  kernel 

yield,  Calabar,  66 
Hobbies,  value  of,  to  dwellers  in  Africa, 

179 
Holme,  — ,  local  Assistant  Resident, 

Ibi,  145-6 
Hoist,  Mr.,  150 
Horses,  196,  209 
Howa,  Babeh's  daughter,  203-4 
Hurdas,  Mr.,  San  Thome,  91 

Ibi,  improvements  at,  145-7 

Ibis,    The,     30  ;    Boyd     Alexander's 

writings  in,   24,   29,  31 
Ido,  139 
Ilarne,  death  at,  of  Boyd  Alexander, 

51-2 
Immeda,  troubles  at,  243 
Infantry,  native,  Dikoa,  207 
Iron,  162  ;  as  currency,  153 
Isaac,  Mr.,  Fernando  Po,  99 


INDEX 


293 


J abba,  Kilba  village,  167 

Jang, 129,  131-2 

Jappa,  chief  of  Vanga  Malabu,  156-8 

Jefferies,  Richard,  writings  of,   Boyd 

Alexander's  appreciation  of,  24-5 
Jigi  Amadu,  ex-king  of  Malabu,  156 
Jollolo,  sent  to  Maidugari,  284-5 
Jones,  Sir  Alfred,  82,  83 
Ju-ju  palaver  at  Pella,  165-6 
Jukon,  at  Wukari,  144 
Jukun,  king  of  Takuni,  141 
Julien,     Commandant,     at     Abechir, 

284  ;     Boyd    Alexander's     services 

offered  to,  252,  270 ;  relations  with, 

270-1 ;  El  Fachir,  275 

Kachemere  hills,  265-6 
Kakanii,  Kachella,  192  et  seq. 
Kalamulue,    222;    tsetse    belt    near, 

223 
Kanem,  as  Alsatia,  249 
Kanembu  race,  181,  183 
Kannidi,  "  big  king  "  of  the  So,  towns 

subject  to,  219 
Kano,  camels  from,  149 
Kano  gown,  exchange  value  of,  287 
Kanuri  people,  176, 179-84  ;  language 

of,   171;  as   porters,   196-199,  242, 

244,  245,  257 
Karangia  grass,  268 
Kebbi,  River,  transport  limit  at,  229 
Kent    and    Sussex,     birds    of,    Boyd 

Alexander's  study  of,  23 
Kentu,  Hausa  rubber  collectors  at,  137 
Kestler,   Mr.,  photographs  by,  of  the 

eruption  of  Cameroon  Mountain,  118 
Keulemans,      on     Grey    Parrots     of 

Principe,  92 
Khartoum  via  Darfur,  final  objective 

of   Boyd  Alexander's   last  journey, 

44 ;  route  selected,  224 
Kiari,  of  Kukawa,  187-9,  257 
Kiari,  the  camel,  242,  260,  261 
Kilba  pagans,  164,  166,  167,  170 
King,  Messrs.,  at  Duala,  71 
Kingsley,       Mary,      ascent      by,     of 

Cameroon  Peak,  106 
Kirchoii,  Prau,  100,  101 
Knives,  Wadaian  readiness  with,  267, 

281 
Knox,  Captain,  Maifoni,  176,  177 
Kob,  McAllister's,  129 
Kola  trade,  W.  Africa,  161,  261,  263-4, 

273 
Kondongo  hills,  266-7 
Konduga,  Bere  Bere  town,  193,  196-8 
Kotoko  people,  giant  ancestors  of,  213, 

214,  218-19,  222;  of  Afade,  tribal 

marks  of,  222 


Kotoko-Shua,  settled  habits  of,  237 

Kouka  people,  258,  262  ;  villages  of, 
256 

Krebige,  150-1,  227 

Kribi,  72,  74 

Kuda,  217,  218 

Kukawa,  vicissitudes  of,  182,  186 
et  seq.,  191 

Kuko,  128 

Kumassi,  relief  of,  Boyd  Alexander's 
ornithological  zeal  during,  29-30 

Kumba,  Crater  Lake  at,  121 

Kupe"  Mountain,  129 

Kurio  race,  181 

Kusseri,  German  fort,  history  of,  and 
journey  to,  210  et  seq.,  223,  224, 
227-8  ;  Sultan  of,  228  ;  tribute  paid 
by,  228  ;  tsetse  belt  near,  232 

Kwoyam  race,  181 

Lagonosticta,      rare,      on      Prince's 

Island,  95 
Lake,  the,  in  Annobon,  87 
Lake  Amelia,  San  Thome,  79 
Lake  Chad,  attractions   of,  for  Boyd 

Alexander,  20  ;    a   record   year  for 

water  in,  215 
Lake  Fittri,  affluents  of,  and  overflows, 

250 ;  birds  at,  247 
Laminu,  Kanembu  Mallam,  181-2 
Lamy,  Major,  death   of,  185  n,  223, 

226,  228 
Languages :     Arabic,    250 ;      Hausa, 

141-2;    Kanuri,    171,   222;    Kilba, 

170;    Marragi,    169-70;    Middogo, 

253 
Lankester,  Sir  Ray,  22 
Leopard,  of  Cameroon,  McAllister  on, 

129 
Lere,  transport  to,  229 
Liste,  Dr.,  Kusseri,  227 
"  Living  on  the  country  "  as  practised 

by  Boyd  Alexander,  211-12  and  n 
Lobb,  Dr.,  Ibi,  145 
Logomane,  211-12 
Logone  River,  227;    navigation  limit 

on,  229 
Loot,  Rabeh's  rules  on,  187 
Lopez,  Jose,  29,  31,  63  n  1  et  passim  ; 

Boyd   Alexander's  bequest   to,   39 ; 

a  tribute  to,  34 
Lowal,  successor  of  Adamu,  160 
Lucas,  Mr.,  Monte  Cafe,  77 
Lumpa,  128 

McAllister,  A.,  on  game  in  Manen- 

guba  region,  129-30 
McClintock,  Major,  185 


294 


INDEX 


Machena,  bricks  at,  183  n 

MacLeod,  Miss  Olive  (Mrs.  Charles 
Temple),  her  journey  to  Boyd  Alex- 
ander's grave,  40-2,  45,  47-8,  53 

Madness,  ju-ju  cure  (?)  for,  165-6 

Mahamud  Barnba,  285-7 

Mahainud  or  Doude  Mourra,  Sultan 
of  Abechir,  260 

Mahomedu  Iya,  present  Emir  of  Yola, 
163 

Maidugari,  191-2 ;  an  execution  at, 
194-5 

Maifoni,  Boyd  Alexander's  burial  at, 
47,  53  ;  Miss  MacLeod's  visit  to, 
47  et  pravi ;  grave  of  C.  Alexander 
at,  55,  64,  177-8;  and  others, 
177 

Maifoni,  fort  at,  163-76  ;  Boyd  Alex- 
ander's stay  at  and  near,  176-8 ; 
journey  from,  193  et  seq. 

"  Maifoni,"  puppy,  217 

Maillard,  Commandant,  and  Captain 
Facon,  and  Boyd  Alexander's  last 
days  and  diaries,  40 

Maio,  Biver,  168-9  ;  tsetse  belt  along, 
163-4 

Malinde,  forest  near,  121 

Mallams,  met  with,  256-7,  264 

Mama  N'yebbi,  Babeh's  son,  187 

Mandara,  tribute  of,  228 

Manenguba  Bange,  70 ;  villages  at 
foot  of,  124  et  seq. 

Mangrove  swamps,  Calabar  Biver,  65, 
71 

Marchand,  Captain,  270 

Marfa,  198 

Marin,  Mr.,  British  Consul,  San 
Thome\  91 

Marragi  pagans,  169-70 

Marriage  customs,  Munshi,  143  ;  Verre, 
153 

Marte,  198,  199,  200-1 

Martens,  Herr,  102,  107,  112,  117 

Massalit  Arabs  or  tribe,  262,  265,  267  ; 
Colonel  Moll  killed  by,  in  battle, 
225  n  ;  reported  cannibalism  of, 
272 

Massed,  meaning  of,  234,  250 

Matriarchy,  Verre  tribe,  153 

Mbo,  128,  130,  131 

Mecca  pilgrims,  246 

Mendie  porters,  trouble  with,  76,  104, 
127,  137,  146,  150 

Menzel,  Mr.,  133 

Messmeje  hills,  and  tribe,  259,  260 

Meurato  hills,  281 

Middogo  hills,  253 

Middogo  people,  252-3 

Mier  Crater,  Cameroon  Mountains,  120 


Miguel,  Don,  68 

Miktari,  Shua  town,  197 

Mimosa  woods,  223,  233,  234,  242 

Mina,  198 

Mobbur  race,  181 

"  Mokes"  and  Mecca,  246 

Moll,  Colonel,  and  Boyd  Alexander, 
48,  224-5,  270;  on  French  opera- 
tions in  Wadai,  229  et  seq. ;  death 
of,  225  n 

Mondolen  Island,  69 

Monte  Cafe,  ro<,'a  San  Thome\  76-8 

Mordibu  Adamu,  sons  of,  161 

Morrough,  Captain  McCarthy,  and 
Garuba  of  Dikoa,  251  and  n 

Mount  Alouette,  Cameroons,  72 

Muambong,  125 

Munshi  race,  143,  145 

Musa,  Kilba  village,  170 

Musa,  Shehu  of  Kusseri,  224,  228 

Miissacke,  bird-collecting  at,  103,  105 

Mussakowa  or  Mussowa,  soil  for,  250  ; 
fields  of,  199  ;  cookies  of,  212 

Mussoba,  King  of,  meeting  with,  173 

Mustapha,  flight  of,  241 

Muyuka,  121 

Mwato,  near,  239-41 

Myili,  Kilba  village,  167 

Nachtigal,  traces  of,  at  Abechir,  273 
et  seq. 

Napoleon  I.,  Boyd  Alexander's  hero- 
worship  of,  18,  19,  22 

Natural  History,  Boyd  Alexander's 
devotion  to,  18;  see  also  Ornitho- 
logy 

Neild,  — ,  185 

New  Year's  Day  at  Njaire,  233 

N'gala,  210  ;  dyeing  at,  214 ;  pottery 
at,  213,  218 

Ngombo,  124 

N'gornu,  elephant  damage  at,  215 

Ngosi,  123-4 

Nicknames  of  native  soldiers  for 
Boyd  Alexander,  31 

Niger  Company,  146,  158,  161,  162 

Night's  rest,  amenities  of,  238,  246 

Ninong,  Cameroon,  people  of,  124-5 

Njaire,  New  Year  at,  233 

Njo  Biver,  tribes  along,  181 

Nijellit  antelope,  252,  257,  258 

Nyeri,  Boyd  Alexander's  messenger 
seized  at,  49,  50 ;  Sultan  of,  50, 
51,  283 

Okapi,    secured    by   Boyd   Alexander, 

32,  35 
Orangulma,  221 


INDEX 


295 


Ornaments,  Chibuk,  170-1  ;  Marragi, 

169 
Ostriches,  246-7 
Othman,   Sultan  of   Dar  Tama,    and 

the  death  of   Boyd   Alexander,  50, 

51,  283 
Overweg,    burial-place     of,    at    Mai- 

foni,  53 
Owl,  rare,  San  Thome\  83 
Ox  blood  in  brick-making,  183 

"  Padres,"     Cocoa     Islands,      Boyd 

Alexander's  tributes  to,  68,  86,  88 
Palm  oil  and  kernel  exports,  Calabar, 

66,  72 
Papagaio  River,  Prince's  Island,  91,  93 
Papagaio,  Peak  of,  94 
Parrot,  Grey,  on  Prince's  Island,  92-3 
Pay,  rates  of,  German   and   English, 

W.  Africa,  127-8 
Pella,  Burri  ju-ju  palaver  at,  165-6  ; 

Sergeant  Hammond  at,  165,  166 
"  Pickles,"    see    Alexander,     Captain 

Claud 
Pipes  as  trade  goods,  W.  Africa,  126 
Plantation,  a  station,  72 
Poala,  126,  127 
Poisoning  white  men,  239 
Pony,  Tubu,  209 
Porters  (see  Hausa,  Kanuri,   Mendie), 

gambling  of,  146 
Potatoes,  131 
Prince's  Island,   Boyd   Alexander   at, 

88,   89   et  seq. 
Prison  life,  native  attitude  to,  66 
Pulteney,  Colonel,  270 
"Pumpkin  and  Co.,"  12-13 

Eabeh,  history  and  exploits  of, 
182,  185  n,  189,  190,  221-2,  228, 
257  ;  death  of,  185  n,  201,  223 

Radley,  Boyd  Alexander  at,  16,  21 

Rafin  Solder,  145 

Ratines,  meaning  of,  215  and  n 

Ramm,  — ,  Norfolk  taxidermist,  29 

Ranola,  Padre,  69 

Rest-houses,  ruinous,  172 

Rice,  wild,  porridge  of,  211 

Ridicule,  native  dislike  of,  246 

Road-making,  Cameroon  or  Kamerun, 
122-3;  need  of,  in  Ibi,  152-3,  168; 
Portuguese  skill  in,  97 

Roan  antelope,  255 

Robbers,  hung,  at  Maidugari,  194-5 

Roberts,  Field-Marshal  Earl,  and  the 
Alexander-Gosling  Expedition,  35 

Rodger,  Sir  John,  64 

Route-maps  of  Boyd  Alexander's  last 
journey,  loss  of,  60 


Rubber,  story  on,  147-9  and  n 
Rum  trade,  Duala,  72 

Sevadra,  Don  Diego,  68,  81,  86 
Salla,  the  Mahommedan    Christmas, 

192 
Salt  trade,  Duala,  72 
Salutations,  167  and  n 

Batta,  167 

Bulala,  240-1 

Hausa,  141-2 

Kilba,  167 
San   Thonie' :    Cameroon   Expedition, 

Boyd  Alexander's  diary   of,    63    et 

seq.,  81,  82,  84,  88  et  seq. ;  peak  of, 

ascent  of,  and  collections  on,  75-6 

et  seq. 
"  San  Thome\"  a  puppy,  79,  103,  144, 

184-5  ;  illness  and  death  of,  163-4, 

166,  210, 214-17 
Sanda,  Shehu  of  Dikoa,  202,  207-9  ; 

Boyd  Alexander's  visit  to,  and  to  his 

relations,    209-10;     troops    of,    re- 
viewed, 205-7 
Sanda,  successor  to  Lowal,  a  scholar 

king,  160,  161 
Sandjo,  128  et  seq. 
Sarbun,  Sultan  of  Wadai,  287 
Scents,  Abechir  market,  281 
Scott,  Captain,  275 
Seita,  251-2 
Senegal    Hartebeest,    198,    213,   221, 

234 
Shari    River,    trade    on,    in    French 

hands,  151 
Shearwater  (bird),  69 
Shelley,  Captain,  23 
Shua,  people  of  Bornu,  197,  219-21, 

233,236-8;  Kotoko,  220-1;  settled 

habits  of,  237 
Sleeping-sickness,     alleged,    on    Fer- 
nando Po,  68  ;  on  Prince's  Island, 

95-6 
Snakes  in  camps,  200 
Snares  for  guinea-fowl,  235 
So  people,     giants,    213-14,     218-19, 

221 
Somervell,  Mr.,  14 
Song,  hills  at,  164 
Sopo,  rail-head,  Kamerun,  69 
Spears,  Shua,  236 
Springett,  John,  9,  23 
"Squatting"    (in    cocoa),    Fernando 

Po,  99 
Stewart,  — ,  grave  of,  Maifoni,  177 
Stone,  — ,  military  commander,  Yola, 

152 
Stormy  Petrel,  73-4 
Sunbirds  and  flowers,  224 


290 


INDEX 


Sundy,  roca  of,  Prince's  Island,  sleep- 
ing-sickness at,  96 
Sunsets,  in  Africa,  138-9,  151 
Swifts,  Gajiro  and  Dikoa,  211 
Swift's  Place,  Cranbrook,  5 

Takcm, 142 

Talbot,  P.  Aruaury,  34,  41-2,  47-8,  54 

Tama,  Sultan  of,  283 

Taxation,    German    W.    Africa,    72, 

73,  132  ;  at  Ibi,  147 
Taylor,  Dr.,  Calabar,  66 
Teeth-reddening,  176 
Temple,  Charles,  and  wife,  41 
Thompson,  Lieutenant,  Maifoni,  176 
Tobacco,   trade  goods   in   W.  Africa, 

126 
Trenchard,  Colonel,  67 
Tribal  marks  :  Chibuk,   171 ;   Kotoko 

of  Afade,   222;    Munshi,   143;    on 

royal  child  at  Dikoa,    210 ;    Shua- 

Kotoko  women,  221 
Tripoli,  trade  of,  with  Abechir,  279, 

284 
Tsetse-fly  on  Prince's  Island,  95-6 
Tsetse-fly  belts,  163-4,  233 
Tubu  race,  181,  209 

Usman  Uraj,  Rabeh's  lieutenant,  228 

Vanga   Malabu,  and   the  downfall  of 

Bobo  Amadu,  156  et  seq. 
Verre  hills,  152-3,  161 
Victoria,  Cameroons,  Boyd  Alexander 

at,  69-70,  199-200  et  seq. 
Vogel,   — ,    records    of,    at    Abechir, 

destroyed,  273 
von     Raben,     Lieutenant,     resident, 

Kusseri,  224,  227 
Vultures,  speedy  work  of,  222 

Wadai,  Boyd  Alexander's  views  on, 
cited,  43-4 ;  fighting  near,  and  at, 
177,  229  et  seq. ;  people  of,  267-8, 
274-5,  281,  286-7 

Wady  Choc,  273,  281 

Wady  Schau,  281 


Wallace,  Sir  William,  163 

Water,  scant,  en  route  to  Abechir, 
238-9 

Weapons  :  disarmed  tribes,  263 ;  Mun- 
shi, 143  ;  Wadaian,  267,  281 

Webster,  Thomas,  R.A.,  9-10 

Welcome,  and  thanks  in  Hausa,  141-2 

West  Africa,  products  of  (see  also 
Palm  Oil  and  Rubber),  66 

West  African  natives,  over-payment 
of,  results,  127-8 

Wharton,  Mr.,  21 

White  men,  letters  of,  treated  as  ju-ju, 
257  ;  native  methods  of  killing,  239 

Wilcocks,  General  Sir  James,  and 
Boyd  Alexander,  30,  37 

Wilson,  David,  career  of,  7 

Womdiu,  King  of,  and  his  Marragi 
subjects,  169-70 

Women  (see  also  Hairdressing  and 
Tribal  Marks),  dances  by,  at  Chi- 
buk funeral,  170-1,  at  Dallwa, 
175-6 

Wood,  Martin,  writer,  39 

Wooden  sabres  of  disarmed  tribes, 
263 

Wrestling  at  Dallwa,  173-5 

Wukari,  revisited,  143-4 

Wuru,  163 

Yamara,  Boyd  Alexander's  visit  to, 
209-10 

Yao,  French  post,  Boyd  Alexander  at, 
247,  249-50 

Yei  River,  Boyd  Alexander's  voyage 
down,  35 

Yelua,  191 

Yola,  151-3,  161;  Boyd  Alexander's 
visit  to,  158  ;  British  administration 
in,  162  ;  Emir  of,  fate  of,  153  et  seq. 

Yola  Emirate,  history  of  tribes  com- 
prised under,  159  et  seq. 

Zambesi    and    Kafuc     Rivers,    Boyd 
Alexander's  bird-collections  from,  29 
Zubeir  Pasha  and  Rabeh,  185  n 
Zubeiru,  former  Emir  of  Yola,   154, 
justice  of,  161 


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